Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has called for a meeting of senior party leaders on Saturday to formulate the party’s strategy on the current political scenario amid the ongoing farmers’ agitation against farm laws. The meeting will continue for 10 days.
The sources said in the meeting “efforts will be made for the reconciliation between the senior leaders of the party and group of Congress ‘rebels’ who wrote a letter flagging a leadership drift and calling for sweeping organisational changes.” In a press briefing, Congress general secretary said Sonia Gandhi will hold a meeting with party leaders for the next 10 days.
The crucial meeting between senior disgruntled leaders of the Congress known as G23 and Sonia Gandhi will be held at her residence on Saturday morning at 10 am. This will be first face to face meeting between them after 23 senior Congress leaders wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi demanding sweeping reforms in the party. The meeting is being seen as a move towards “reconciliation” among the warring factions within the party.
“Sonia Gandhi was unable to physically meet people because of Covid situation. From tomorrow, she will be meeting with the party leaders and take decisions on various organisational activities and various ongoing issues like farmers agitation, scrapping of winter session of Parliament. It will be an ongoing process for the next 10 days,” he said.
“The leaders who will be meeting Sonia Gandhi include those who wrote letter and those who have specific concerns with functioning. Every party member is dear to us and everyone has the right to raise their concerns.
They are part of our family. We will continue to fight for the people of India, together. It is the tradition of the party,” he added.
According to sources, the possible formation of the alliance in West Bengal, Assam and Tamil Nadu will also be discussed in the meeting. “Sonia Gandhi will take the final decision on the alliance after listening to all leaders,” a source told ANI.
Sonia Gandhi will also discuss the scraping of winter session of Parliament by the central government with senior leaders comprising party’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs.
“Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor, former Union Minister Pawan Bansal, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and Congress general secretary Ajay Maken will be there in the meeting at 10 Janpath,” a source said.
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat will discuss the changes in Punjab cabinet and farmer agitation and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor will discuss the results of local body polls in Kerala, sources said.
