This unity show is to strengthen weakening Cong, say dissenters
JAMMU: In a public show of dissent, the ‘G-23’ leaders, including Gulam Nabi Azad, who have been pressing for a leadership change and organisational overhaul in the Congress, gathered on one stage here on Saturday, saying the party is weakening and they have come together to strengthen it.
“It is an occasion to speak the truth and I will speak the truth. The truth is we can see that the Congress is weakening. We had gathered earlier also and together we have to strengthen the Congress,” Sibal said addressing an event dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. The event was also attended by several other Congress leaders like Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Manish Tewari, Vivek Tankha and Raj Babbar of the group, now called ‘G-23’, which had triggered a storm in the party last year with their letter to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, expressing unhappiness over its functioning and demanding a full-time party president. The Congress leaders praised Azad for his contribution, with Sibal saying he is unable to understand why the party is not using the experience of a person like him.
Asked about the Jammu meet, the Congress said they were senior and highly respected members of the party and their best contribution to the Congress’ cause would be to get active in five poll-bound states and strengthen the party there.
In a veiled attack on the Congress leadership, Sharma said in Jammu that none of the leaders present there have come into the party through shortcuts and nobody has the right to tell “if we are Congressmen or not”. Hooda said there are two kinds of people in Congress. “Some who are in Congress and others like Azad who have Congress in them.”