The Congress Working Committee (CWC) has urged the outgoing party president Rahul Gandhi to reconsider his decision, adding that it was yet to take a final call on his resignation.
This was informed following a crucial meeting of the CWC held on Saturday afternoon in New Delhi to elect the new Congress President.
“The CWC unanimously appealed to Rahul Gandhi to lead the party as he was the best person for the top post at the time when the BJP-led government was assaulting democracy and undermining people’s rights,” said Congress media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala while addressing media persons after the meeting.
“After Rahul Gandhi refused to reconsider his decision, the CWC began consultations to find his successor under five regional sub-groups led by senior party leaders,” Surjewala said, adding that the CWC will meet again on Saturday night after the end of the initial consultation process. He also said the CWC has not accepted Rahul Gandhi’s resignation yet.
“It is still pending approval from the CWC. But he is adamant on his decision, so a group has been formed for consultation with the party leaders to decide on the new chief,” Surjewala said.
The CWC has been divided into five region-wise groups to hold talks with the state in-charges, state chiefs, AICC department chairman, party MPs and build a consensus on the name of the new party chief.
Following the meeting, Rae Bareli MP and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi told reporters that she and Rahul Gandhi are not a part of the five region-wise groups formed in the CWC to elect the new party chief.
“Rahul and I cannot participate in the election of the new party chief. Putting our names is not good,” she told reporters while the outgoing Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, “I am going to Wayanad tomorrow for two days as the condition is very disturbing there.”
The meeting was attended by Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior party leaders Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Ahmed Patel, P Chidambaram and others.
(With IANS inputs)
