new Delhi: Key members of the G-23, a rebel group of Congress workers, met at the residence of senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for the second time in the last 24 hours.
The meeting, called a feedback session, came after Bhupinder Singh Hooda met Rahul Gandhi on Thursday morning, a day after the G-23 advocated for “inclusive and collective leadership” in the Congress.
During the second meeting, Hooda and Azad, the former Haryana chief ministers, are said to have discussed “concrete proposals” to strengthen the party after the recent electoral defeat, the details of which were not yet known. Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma were also among the attendees.
The meeting between Gandhi and Hooda is being seen as an attempt by the Gandhi family to reach out to the dissidents who have faced growing aggression on the leadership issue after the Congress’s dismal performance in the recently concluded assembly elections in five key states. indications are shown.
According to sources close to news agency PTI, during the meeting that lasted for about one and a half hours, they discussed the party’s defeat in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.
However, amid calls from a section of Gandhi loyalists to act against G-23 leader Kapil Sibal, who had recently said that the Gandhi family should step aside and leave for someone else to take over the reins of the grand old party. The way should be paved, said Hooda. To tell Rahul that such a move would be unacceptable as Sibal only talked about strengthening the Congress.
It should be noted that the disgruntled G-23 has been consistently demanding a reorganization of the organisation, as earlier in 2020, the rebel group wrote to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi demanding comprehensive reforms in the Congress, including a full-time The party was also involved. director.
“The over-centralization and micro-management of the organization has always proved counter-productive. The party has seen a steady decline in electoral results in 2014 and 2019, and the reasons for this were manifold,” the letter read.
However, Sonia hit back at the rebels, saying they were free to choose a new party president as she did not want to take any further responsibility.
In the meeting held on Wednesday, the G-23 strongly advocated ‘collective leadership’.
The group had said on Wednesday that “the only way forward for the Congress was to adopt a model of inclusive and collective leadership and decision-making at all levels,” emphasizing that they want to strengthen the party and take it any step further. Don’t want to weaken.
Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with Hooda assumes significance in the context of the G-23 statement and Azad’s telephonic conversation with Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday.
According to sources, Azad may soon meet Sonia with proposals and make a case for reforms in the party.