Congress 'Rebels' (G-23) Meet For Second Time In 24 Hours

A group of 18 leaders — a mix of G-23 dissidents and some ‘newcomers’ — had met yesterday to discuss the way forward after the party’s latest drubbing in five states.

The core group of Congress’s G-23 dissidents met again at the home of senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad this evening — their second gathering in 24 hours. Among those attending were Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma and Bhupinder Hooda. The meet is expected to be a feedback session — with Mr Hooda meeting Rahul Gandhi earlier today. A few leaders have also indicated that the meeting will discuss concrete steps to move ahead and such meetings will be held regularly from now to keep up the pressure on the top leadership.

Upset with the stance of the loyalists at the Working Committee, which insists on reaffirming the leadership of the Gandhis despite serial losses, the dissidents have been having a series of meetings since Friday. This time, the CWC, the party’s highest decision-making body — had turned down Sonia Gandhi’s offer to step down from all posts with her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Yesterday 18 leaders — a mix of dissidents and some newcomers from across six states — met to discuss the way forward after the party’s latest drubbing in state elections. The Congress has lost Punjab and had been practically wiped out in Uttar Pradesh and the other states.

But the response of the leaders had been toned down, with a statement saying they were in favour of a “collective, inclusive leadership” and demanded that the Congress be proactive and create a platform with other like-minded parties to take on the BJP in 2024.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/congress-rebels-g-23-to-meet-this-evening-second-time-in-24-hours-2828792