Official BJP line: It’s Cong’s internal issue

NEWDELHI: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday refrained from making any comment on the developments as far as the Congress Working Committee’s (CWC) meeting was concerned.

At the meeting of the Congress’s highest decision-making body, differences among the top brass of the Congress emerged, after reports surfaced over the weekend that at least 23 leaders wrote a letter to interim party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking an overhaul of the organisation.

Several BJP leaders, however, said that the sparring at the CWC showed the lack of internal democracy within the 134-yearold party.

“Whatever is happening is an internal matter of the Congress party and the BJP would not like to comment on it. However, the statements that are emerging from the CWC prove the pseudo internal democracy in the party,” said Sanjay Mayukh, a BJP spokesperson.

At the meeting, which was called to discuss the churning that is taking place after a section of leaders sought a change in leadership, differences came to fore. A section of leaders, who support Sonia, trained their guns on the letter-writers. Former party president Rahul Gandhi, who represents Kerala’s Wayanad in the Lok Sabha, called the letter ill-timed.

Another BJP spokesperson, Tom Vadakkan, who had joined the party after quitting the Congress and was considered close to the Gandhi family, said the developments at the CWC indicated that internal strife was now in the public domain.“As a member of the BJP, I would not want to comment about the internal affairs of the Congress party. However, as a former Congressperson, I can say that the mirror has cracked, and it is all out in public domain.”

Vadakkan also said that though the Congress refers to internal democracy and speaks about holding elections, it is only a ruse. “They talk about elections but they are never fair, there is always back-door management,” he said.

Finally, after a seven-hourlong meeting, the CWC decided that Sonia Gandhi will continue as the party’s interim president and effect necessary organisational changes.