G-23 leaders demand CWC meeting, party’s reorganisation
By: Afaq Bhat
Srinagar, Sep 30: After former J&K chief minister and veteran Congress leader shared a stage with Rahul Gandhi in Jammu earlier this month it was assumed that young versus old battle within the party has ended, but the Congress high command has once again sidelined Azad triggering yet another row in the party.
According to the party insiders, Azad was hoping that the high command would nominate him for Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu by striking a deal with its alliance partner DMK, but the Congress leadership remained silent over the issue which allowed two DMK leaders to get elected for Rajya Sabha unopposed. “This has not gone well with the group of veteran leaders headed by Azad,” the insiders added.
Azad on Wednesday wrote a letter to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi asking her to convene early meet of the Congress Working Committee which is the highest decision making body of the party. In his letter the Azad pointed out the need to have a permanent party president in place and reiterated his demand for organisational elections in the party.
Azad was seconded by another senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal who launched an attack on Rahul Gandhi and wondered who in the party is taking decisions.
Sibal expressed dismay over demand of organisational elections not being met even a year after the letter was written by G-23.
It’s in place to mention here that after Congress has been beset by troubles in the recent past. Captain Amarinder Singh, former Chief Minister of Punjab, who was removed from the post recently met Union Minister, Amit Shah but ruled out that he would be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On the other hand former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro has joined West Bengal’s ruling TMC. The Congress has seen a spate of defections recently with Faleiro and its former MPs Abhijeet Mukherjee, son of former President Pranab Mukherjee, and Sushmita Dev defecting to the TMC. A senior Congress leader from Kerala V M Sudheeran has also quit from all the AICC positions.
An analyst while talking to Precious Kashmir said, “The grand old party of the country is witnessing one of the worst crisis since its inception. If Gandhis fail to pacify the veteran leaders it could lead to party ending up in a bigger mess. Azad not being nominated for Rajya Sabha has annoyed the dissidents and if the party high command keeps on ignoring them (senior leaders) the Congress can witness a vertical split.”
Congress high command sidelines Azad yet again
