new Delhi: Leaders of the Congress’ “Group of 23” said on Wednesday that the only way forward for the party is to adopt a model of collective and inclusive leadership and decision-making at all levels.
After the Congress’s defeat in five states, some G-23 leaders of the party met at Ghulam Nabi Azad’s residence over dinner on Wednesday to discuss future strategy.
The meeting was to be held at Kapil Sibal’s residence but the venue was shifted at the last minute, reported ANI.
In a statement, the G-23 leaders also urged the Congress leadership to initiate dialogue with like-minded forces to make way for a credible alternative in the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Ghulam Nabi Azad is likely to meet party chief Sonia Gandhi at 10 Janpath on Thursday and present the final resolution of G-23 members, reported ANI.
The G-23, which has been critical of the Congress leadership, had written to Sonia Gandhi in 2020 demanding an organizational change.
The leaders who attended the meeting included Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Sandeep Dixit and Shashi Tharoor.
Before attending the meeting, Tharoor posted a cryptic tweet. Tharoor said, “I have learned a lot from my mistakes, I am looking to do something else.”
Other leaders who attended the dinner included Patiala MP Preneet Kaur, former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela, former Union minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and former Haryana president Kuldeep Sharma.
The G-23 meeting comes a day after Sonia Gandhi demanded the resignation of Congress presidents of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa following the party’s dismal performance in the states.
On Wednesday, Sonia Gandhi engaged five senior leaders to assess the post-poll situation in five states and suggest organizational changes.
Rajya Sabha MP Rajni Patil has been asked to assess the situation of Jairam Ramesh in Goa, Manipur and Ajay Maken in Punjab. Jitendra Singh will take stock of the situation in Uttar Pradesh, while Avinash Pandey has been asked to do the same in Uttarakhand.