Congress leaders said “no one was critical of Rahul Gandhi” at the meeting (File)
New Delhi:
Rahul Gandhi said today he was willing to “work for the party as all desire” in a meeting today with Congress “dissenters” who had written a letter criticizing the leadership and calling for an overhaul earlier this year. The statement raised speculation about the 50-year-old returning as Congress president as the party prepares to elect a chief in the New Year. The meeting between Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the so-called “rebels” on the lawns of the Congress interim president’s 10 Janpath home marked the first move towards reconciliation after months of feuding and resignations.
Rahul Gandhi said, “I am willing to work for the party as all of you desire,” senior Congress leader Pawan Bansal said after the meeting.
Congress leaders said “no one was critical of Rahul Gandhi” at the meeting.
Rahul Gandhi quit as Congress president after the party’s national election defeat last year, forcing Sonia Gandhi to take over as interim chief until the party elected a new chief.
Over a year since his resignation, the Congress has not arrived at any clear solution to its leadership crisis. The party has also suffered an extended losing streak not just in states but also in local polls in states like Kerala and Rajasthan.
A letter in August by 23 Congress leaders — dubbed the G-23 — noted the leadership drift and called for an “active and visible leadership” and collective decision-making.
Over the next few months, the letter writers found themselves isolated and shunned by the Gandhis, until today.
The Congress called it a the first of a series of meetings — to be held over the next 10 days — between the Gandhis and senior party leaders ahead of organizational elections.
