The much-talked-about Congress Working Committee meeting has come to an end after 4.5 hours only to conclude that Sonia Gandhi will continue as the interim party president. In the meeting, CWC expressed its full faith on Sonia Gandhi to keep leading the party, and authorised her to take decisions needed to revamp the party.
Reportedly, it was also decided that the much waited and much delayed election to elect a full-time president of the Congress party will take place on August 20. During the meeting, Sonia Gandhi said that if the party feels is it is needed, the three from the Gandhi family, Sonia Gandhi herself, and her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are ready to resign from their posts in the party. However, the CWC members unanimously rejected the offer.
The party will also organise a brainstorming camp to find ways to revamp the party. Addressing a press conference after the meeting held on 13th March 2022 at AICC headquarters in Delhi, Randeep Singh Surjewala and KC Venugopal informed about the decisions taken in the meeting.
LIVE: Congress Working Committee Briefing by Shri @kcvenugopalmp and Shri @rssurjewala at the AICC HQ. https://t.co/Io80jAhesm
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 13, 2022
In the most important and the most expected of the decisions, the CWC has reaffirmed its faith in Sonia Gandhi’s leadership. Informing about the decisions taken in the CWC meeting, KC Venugopal read out the statement published by the Congress party that said, “Senior members openly participated in the discussions to analyse themselves. It was a sincere and fruitful discussion. The CWC unanimously accepted the following things. The recent assembly elections in five states are a cause of serious concern for Congress. The CWC unanimously reaffirms its faith in Sonia Gandhi.”
It further said, “We request the Congress president to lead from the front, address the organizational weakness, effect the necessary organizational and comprehensive changes in order to take on political challenges.”
Analysing the party’s dismal performance in the five state elections, the party concluded due to faulty strategies, it failed to ‘effectively expose the misrule of BJP govts in four states’, and could not overcome anti-incumbency in Punjab as the party had short time after effecting change of leadership in the state.
The statement also informed about the next steps to be taken by the Congress party. It said, “The CWC also decided that to have a detailed revelation of the party strategy and way forward in the upcoming elections in 2022, 2023, and 2024, a Chintan Shivir of the senior leaders will be held immediately after the current parliament session.”
It is also indicated that the party is going to make some decisions about the organizational changes soon. The party statement said, “Before Chintan Shivir, the CWC will meet once again to discuss the matters to be taken in the meeting including the organizational changes and the strategies. The Congress president will immediately take the immediate corrective measures to revamp and strengthen the organization.” Reportedly, the Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) will take place after the budget session.
Randeep Singh Surjewala said that every party worker wants Rahul Gandhi to lead the party. However, he also cleared that the new party president will be chosen at the next organizational elections of Congress.
The much-talked-about meeting of the Congress working committee began at around 4 PM on 13th March 2022 in New Delhi. While 5 senior members of the party and the former prime minister Manmohan Singh were absent in this CWC meeting, party workers were seen protesting against the G-23 leaders and in support of Gandhi family members outside the AICC headquarters when the meeting was going on.
