Ahead of the primary assembly of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) in 5 months on Saturday, the possibilities of the social gathering asserting organisational elections, together with to the put up of social gathering president, appeared bleak. On the eve of the assembly, a number of Congress leaders, together with members of the Group of 23 who’ve been looking for sweeping modifications within the social gathering construction, argued that the social gathering mustn’t go in for polls now and may concentrate on the forthcoming Assembly elections in 5 states.
The G-23 leaders additionally indicated that they might not oppose if the high-powered physique decides to place off organisational elections as soon as once more in view of the elections. Many members of the CWC whom The Indian Express spoke to favoured the continuation of Sonia Gandhi as interim president.
“There is again election in some states. There will be continuously elections in one or the other state or group of states till 2024. I think the party’s priority should be to win these elections or consolidating our position, instead of thinking of these issues. There are challenges before the party and there are bigger challenges before the nation… There are issues of democratic values, the issue of weaker sections, unemployment… economy is in a very bad shape. All these things are very dear to the Congress. I think we should focus on these issues and on winning elections in the states. Everybody realises this… But anyway, if the party feels there should be elections, we are ready for elections also,” CWC member Harish Rawat advised The Indian Express.
Some of the leaders of the G-23, nonetheless, added that the CWC can resolve the timeline for holding the membership drive, which was final held in 2016-17, within the run as much as the organisational elections.
“We have not had a membership drive for five-six years. So how can we hold organisational elections? We will have to hold the membership drive first. But the coming Assembly elections are the priority. We can discuss the schedule (for organisational elections). But first the membership drive will have to begin at some point of time,” a G-23 chief mentioned.
“Abhi karna bekaar hai, kaun sambhaalega? Jab tak madam hai, gaadi chalega. Gaadi chalta hai. Madam chhod degi, toh gaadi bhi chalna band ho jayegi. Is samay afratafri ka mahaul hai har state mein (It’s useless to hold elections at this point, who will hold the party together? Till the point Sonia Gandhi is there, the party is on track, functioning. When she steps down, even that will stop. Right now, in every state, there is confusion)… So at such a time, everybody has faith in Sonia Gandhi, she is a unifying force,” one other senior chief, who is taken into account loyal to the household, mentioned, on the query of electing a brand new president.
The CWC is anticipated to undertake a few resolutions, and plenty of leaders felt the lead taken by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra within the Lakhimpur Kheri incident — wherein Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra’s son is an accused within the killing of 4 farmers — will are available in for healthful reward.
An AICC office-bearer questioned if something would emerge from the assembly other than this. With everlasting invitees, particular invitees, chief ministers, all talking, the chorus “will be over-repetitive”, the chief mentioned. “Everyone will be keen to impress Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Priyanka. There will be competitive sycophancy and ego massaging. Amid all this… I don’t know what constructive thing will come out… It generally becomes a meaningless exercise.”
Another chief mentioned that it might be the resolutions which are adopted which might be essentially the most important factor on the assembly, other than “the stand we take on crucial issues”. “The rest of the organisational matters can wait. The country is looking at us… as the main Opposition party, our stand on key issues affecting the people.”
At least two leaders mentioned the CWC ought to talk about the experiences of the committee arrange by Sonia Gandhi to take a look at the social gathering’s losses within the final spherical of Assembly elections. “We still don’t know what the committee said on the debacle in Kerala and Assam and the rout in West Bengal. We should discuss that first before planning about the next round of elections,” one chief mentioned.
Rawat was forthright in his assist for Sonia Gandhi’s continuation, saying the Congress had finished very nicely underneath her. “These are challenging times… Even my friends from the G-23… they also know it… Time and again senior people like Ghulam Nabi Azad have expressed confidence in her leadership.”
2 yrs of uncertainty
It’s been two years since Rahul Gandhi resigned as Congress president and Sonia Gandhi was introduced again to the helm as an interim association. Many leaders imagine she ought to proceed whereas a big part is hoping for the return of Rahul. Whatever the choice, it’s time the grand previous social gathering put its home so as as one other set of essential elections loom.