NEW DELHI: The party, which is losing popularity day by day, has been rocked by a letter from 23 senior party leaders to its party president Sonia Gandhi for radical organizational change in the party. The letter is said to be a challenge to the leadership of the Gandhi family, with Sonia Gandhi threatening to resign. Many leaders, however, opined that now is not the right time for a change of leadership as the country and the party are going through a crisis. They support Sonia and Rahul. With the Congress executive (CWC) meeting scheduled to take place tomorrow, two views within the party have fueled national politics.
Following the word of this case being spread on the Internet, some 23 leaders have called for the beleagured PM to resign. He encouraged ordinary people as well to take part in solving this great task: “One of the things you and other people can do is keep up the pressure … there are going to be some difficult decisions for government”. He is not interested in staying in this position for long. Sonia was elected interim president for a year after Rahul Gandhi resigned as Congress president following the turmoil in the last Lok Sabha elections. According to sources close to Sonia and Rahul, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel have come out in support of Sonia and Rahul. Disapproving of the senior leader’s letter for a change of leadership, Amarinder said there was now a need for a strong opposition as the NDA government was trying to overthrow the constitutional system in the country. Only Sonia Gandhi can lead the party properly. Similarly, one of the party’s senior leaders and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that Sonia was the right candidate for the Congress leadership. So if he has already decided to resign, then Rahul Gandhi should be made president immediately. In the Lok Sabha, Congress parliamentary party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and former Union minister Ashwini Kumar have also openly expressed support for the Gandhi family. They oppose the idea of joint leadership. Sanjay Nirupam called the letter a conspiracy against Rahul.
