Cong leaders seek 'effective' leadership; CWC to discuss
Congress seems to have finally decided to take the bull by the horns and address the leadership crisis that it faces.
New Delhi: The Congress seems to have finally decided to take the bull by the horns and address the leadership crisis that it faces.
The party’s top decision-making body, the Congress Working Committee (CWC), will meet online on Monday (August 24) to discuss issues including a letter sent by over 20 leaders, including five former Chief Ministers, former Union Ministers, and several sitting MPs.
The Indian Express said the letter had sought sweeping changes, from top to bottom. Most of the leaders aired concern that BJP had a definite advantage and the youth decisively voted for Narendra Modi.
Media reports said the letter, sent a fortnight ago, wanted ‘full time and effective leadership’ which is ‘visible and active’ on the field.
The leaders said the drift in party and the ‘uncertainty over leadership’ had demoralised workers and weakened the party.
To rejuvenate the party at the grassroots level, the leaders sought a sweeping set of reforms like decentralisation of power, empowerment of state units, elections to the Congress organisation at all levels, and the immediate constitution of a Central parliamentary board.
Reportedly, the senior leaders sought a discussion with party interim president Sonia Gandhi over the leadership issue.
Interestingly, the letter, which wanted an ‘institutional leadership mechanism’ but said the Nehru-Gandhi family would always remain ‘an integral part’ of it.
In a more incisive observation, the letter said the CWC meetings had turned ‘episodic’ and was being convened as a reaction to political developments. It sad the Congress Parliamentary Party was not discussing the party’s strategy or stance and it merely was reduced to a customary address by CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
Recently, a 2019 statement by party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi had raked up a controversy. She had then stated that she endorsed her brother Rahul Gandhi’s statement favouring a non-Gandhi president for the legacy part.
On Monday, the Congress had rubbished a tweet by party leader Sanjay Jha that some 100 leaders have written to Sonia Gandhi asking for a change in leadership. The party sacked Sanjay Jha as spokesperson after this incident.