In the wake of Punjab crisis, Ghulam Nabi Azad, a prominent face of G-23 of the Congress has shot a fresh letter to the Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi to convene the meeting of Congress Working Committee (CWC) to discuss affairs of the party. Besides, the group has again demanded elections to the post of the party president.
Gulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma and others are the part of Group 23 of the Congress. In August last year they had demanded an organisational overhaul of the party.
The current development took place after Kapil Sibal held a press conference on Wednesday in Delhi criticizing the central leadership. In the wake of the Punjab crisis, Kapil Sibal demanded open dialogue and introspection. This sparked an angry protest by the loyalists of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at his residence. Protesters called everybody in the Congress who questioned the ‘wisdom’ of central leadership. They shouted Gaddaron, party chhoro (traitors leave the party)” and and also carried ‘Get Well Soon’ placards.
Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma has expressed shock over attack and hooliganism at the residence of Kapil Sibal after he raised concerns over the lack of clarity in the decision making process of the party.
Anand Sharma commented on Twitter that the incident at the residence of Kapil Sibal left him shocked and disgusted. “Shocked and disgusted to hear the news of attack and hooliganism at Kapil Sibal’s house. This deplorable action brings disrepute to the party and needs to be strongly condemned,” Anand Sharma said.
Shocked and disgusted to hear the news of attack and hooliganism at Kapil Sibal’s house. This deplorable action brings disrepute to the party and needs to be strongly condemned.
— Anand Sharma (@AnandSharmaINC) September 30, 2021
Anand Sharma further commented that those responsible must be identified and disciplined. Urging Sonia Gandhi to take cognizance and action he stated that the Congress has the history of upholding freedom of expression.
Kapil Sibal has not issued any statement after madness outside of his residence. But what he said at the press conference in Delhi on Wednesday had annoyed many Yours’ truly of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Kapil Sibal said that G-23 was not a group of yes men. “We are G23. We are not ‘ji huzoor’ 23,” he had said.
In reference to Punjab crisis Sibal wondered that who in the party was taking decision when there is no full-time president. He demanded Congress Working Committee meeting to start the dialogue.
“In our party at this moment there is no president. So, who’s taking the decisions? All of us know and yet we don’t know. We want the meeting of CWC for a dialogue to take place,” Kapil Sibal had said.
He had said leaders of G 23 will not leave the party. He said that those who were close to the party leadership have left the party but those whom central leadership doesn’t consider close to them are still standing with them.
