Amid political crisis in the party after desertion of two high-profile leaders in Madhya Pradesh and now Rajasthan, Congress leaders are mulling to write a collective letter to the Congress Working Committee to elect or appoint a new full-time party president as Sonia Gandhi is set to complete one year as interim party chief.

Top sources said that the group of leaders has met at least twice to deliberate on the issues of party organisation and a draft letter is being prepared. One of the leaders who is privy to the developments confirmed the move. But the sources did not reveal the names as the group wants to have wider consultations on the issue.

Advertisement

However, the sources quoted by IANS said, “the move is not against Rahul Gandhi as the only motive is to have a permanent president and there should be a clear line of command in the party.”

Anybody can become party president and it may well be Rahul Gandhi but if Rahul doesn’t come back then there should be no interference from his side as many Congress leaders are miffed with the meddling of Rahul’s office which often lacks clarity, said a source.

Those involved in the process of raising the issue with CWC are senior leaders of the party and have been Union ministers and MPs in the UPA government.

The Congress leaders assert that party control over leaders have weakened over years and thus it needs to be restructured and regional satraps are either trying to get hold of the party or taking another line not in sync with the party.

Meanwhile, a meeting of Congress Lok Sabha MPs called by party president Sonia Gandhi on July 11 to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic and the political situation in the country was dominated by calls for Rahul Gandhi to take over as the party chief.

The demand was first raised by party chief whip in Lok Sabha K Suresh and seconded by a majority of MPs who attended the virtual meeting that lasted over three hours, sources said.

The demands were raised with Rahul Gandhi in attendance at the meeting, even though neither he nor Sonia Gandhi said anything on this issue, the sources said.

Rahul Gandhi resigned as Congress president after the party’s 2019 Lok Sabha poll debacle and Sonia Gandhi was installed as interim chief on August 10 by the Congress Working Committee, the party’s highest decision-making body.

Rahul Gandhi had been adamant to resign from the post of Congress President since the party faced a drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections in which Congress could win only 52 seats, only 8 more than its 2014 tally.

The CWC had decided that Rahul Gandhi “should continue as Congress President as desired by all and requested him to accept this decision”. However, Rahul “declined to withdraw his resignation”.