‘Reports of Sonia Gandhi resigning as Congress president false’: Randeep Surjewala

New Delhi, Aug 23: Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala denied reports that Sonia Gandhi has resigned as party president.

On the issue of Sonia Gandhi''s possible resignation, Surjewala said, "Sonia Gandhi has not made any comment or has given any interview and media reports in this regard as false".

Ahead of crucial CWC meeing on Monday, the party was deeply divided on the leadership issue with a section demanding a "full-time" chief and another backing Gandhis at the helm, amid indications that interim president Sonia Gandhi might offer to quit.

After around 20 leaders wrote to the party chief seeking collective leadership and a revamp of major bodies, sources close to Sonia Gandhi said she might offer to step down in the CWC and ask the party to look for a full-time president. AICC media chief Randeep Surjewala, however, denied it.

As the debate over the issue of leadership raged, another group of leaders put their weight behind the Gandhi family on Sunday, calling for Sonia Gandhi to stay or Rahul Gandhi to take charge again.

While Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and former ministers Ashwani Kumar, Salman Khurshid and KK Tewary backed the Gandhis, the dissenting group included former ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Mukul Wasnik, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

Opposing the bid to challenge the Gandhi family leadership, Amarinder Singh said this was not the time to raise such an issue.