CWC meet: Sonia Gandhi remains Congress’ Interim Chief.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh backs Sonia Gandhi to revive the Congress party; New President to be decided in the next 6 months.
The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Monday concluded that Sonia Gandhi would remain party’s interim president until further notice, following a marathon seven-hour meeting. A new head will be chosen inside the following six months. It was likewise concluded that a board would be set up to help Sonia Gandhi to investigate the issues brought up in the letter by 23 leaders, who called for clearing changes within the Congress.
Sonia Gandhi urges the 23 leaders who signed a letter to move forward:
Sonia Gandhi said she doesn’t hold anything against the individuals who have composed the letter. Gandhi urged the leaders to move forward. In her introductory statements at the CWC meeting, Sonia Gandhi offered to resign from her post and requested that the CWC start the procedure of “change” to alleviate her from her obligations, saying she had given a definite answer on the issue to AICC general secretary K C Venugopal. Sonia Gandhi was made the interim president a year ago after Rahul Gandhi stepped down in the wake of the party’s annihilation in the Lok Sabha polls.
Manmohan Singh & AK Antony back Sonia Gandhi to revive the Congress:
Ex-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who talked after Sonia Gandhi at the CWC meeting, asked her to continue and was supported by previous Defence Minister A K Antony. Both the Congress veterans condemned the letter that called for “full time and compelling leadership” that is both “noticeable” and “active” in the field; elections to the CWC; and the critical foundation of an “institutional leadership system” to “collectively” control the party’s restoration.
Drama at CWC meet as Rahul Gandhi criticizes the timing of the letter, later retracts:
Then, extreme emotion unfurled during the meeting after Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the leaders who had composed the letter and scrutinized its planning. Gandhi reportedly said the letter was composed when Congress was fighting an emergency in Rajasthan and Sonia Gandhi was unwell. The Congress later explained that Rahul Gandhi never offered such comments and cautioned against being deluded by “bogus media talk”.
