High drama at Congress meet over Rahul Gandhi’s ‘colluding with BJP remark’

Delhi, Aug 24: High drama was witnessed as at the Congress Working Committee meeting over former party president Rahul Gandhi's purported remark that some of the signatories of the letter calling for sweeping reforms within the party were "colluding with the BJP" even though the Congress later denied he made any such statement.

Top Congress leaders are deliberating on the issue of leadership during the meeting of the party's top decision-making body that will be held virtually.

Sonia Gandhi made the offer to quit. As she asked to be relieved from Congress chief's post.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, led the charge as he reportedly accused dissenters of colluding with the BJP.

Senior leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, one of the signatories of the letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi, offered to quit all posts if the charge was proven while senior leader Kapil Sibal said he had never made statement in favour of BJP in last 30 years.

CWC meet: Key highlights

• Interim Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has requested the party to relieve her from her current role.
• Former Prime Minister and senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh, AK Antony have requested Gandhi to continue in her current role.
• Rahul Gandhi questioned timing of letter to Sonia Gandhi.
• He criticised leaders for going public with issues concerning the party. We need to discuss problems at CWC and not in the media.
• Rahul says writing a letter to Sonia Gandhi for reforms in party leadership was done in collusion with BJP.
• Reponding to Rahul Gandhi remark, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that he would resign if he was in any manner doing this to help the BJP or doing it at its behest.
• Rahul Gandhi says " we are colluding with BJP " Succeeded in Rajasthan High Court defending the Congress Party. Defending party in Manipur to bring down BJP Govt. Last 30 years have never made a statement in favour of BJP on any issue. Yet " we are colluding with the BJP "! Tweeted Kapil Sibal.
• After his tweet objecting to Rahul Gandhi's accusation, Kapil Sibal tweeted again to inform that he was informed by Rahul Gandhi personally that he never said what was attributed to him.
• Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala denied reports of Rahul Gandhi's accusation that leaders who wrote the letter seeking dissolution of powers to state units and revamping the CWC did so in collusion with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
• Reportedly, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra came down heavily on dissenters at the CWC meet.
• Priyanka Gandhi also took on Ghulam Nabi Azad as she says what you are saying is opposite of what is in the letter.
• Ahmed Patel while speaking at the meeting proposes Rahul Gandhi to take over as party president.

Several party leaders, while supporting the continuation of Gandhis at the helm, accused those behind the letter of playing into the hands of the BJP and attempting to weaken the party at a time when there was a need to close ranks against the NDA government.

This is the second challenge to Sonia Gandhi's leadership after the one in 1999 when the then leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar challenged her foreign origins in order to keep her from being named the party's prime ministerial face in the general elections that year.

Sonia Gandhi had resigned in the CWC, which rejected her move unanimously bringing her back as party president. While Sonia went on to become the longest-serving Congress president, Pawar and rebels had to quit to form the NCP.