New Delhi: In a meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Monday, Sonia Gandhi reportedly offered to quit as the interim president of the congress. She also asked the Congress Working Committee to initiate the process for selecting a new party chief.
In her opening remarks at the meeting, Congress president, Sonia Gandhi made the offer to quit saying that she had given a detailed reply on the issue to AICC general secretary K C Venugopal
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who spoke after Gandhi, urged her to continue, so did former Defence Minister A K Antony, with both the veterans criticising the letter by some party leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Mukul Wasnik, who are a part of the CWC, the party’s highest decision-making body
Sources claim that Sonia Gandhi referred to Azad and others twice during her brief address and the issues raised by them
According to sources, Rahul Gandhi in his speech also questioned the timing of the letter, which was sent to Sonia Gandhi when she was in Gangaram hospital and under medication
The crucial meeting of the Working Committee started amid divisions in the party over the leadership issue
The party is divided on the leadership matter with a section demanding collective leadership and another reposing faith in the Gandhi family
Around 20 party leaders had written to Sonia Gandhi demanding a full-time, visible president and overhauling of the organisational structure including elections to the CWC and reconstitution of the Parliamentary board.
There has been a huge outpouring of support for the Gandhis with party leaders from across the country urging her to continue as the party chief or appoint Rahul Gandhi to the post.
Image Source: Internet