Leaders vow to get active in poll-bound states Cong getting weaker, say G23 dissenters in Jammu

Jammu, Feb. 27: In a public show of dissent, the “G23” leaders, including Gulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Kapil Sibal, 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. Why have we gathered here? 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 G23’, 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

I have not given anyone the right to tell me if we are Congressmen or not. Nobody has that right. We will build the party. We will strengthen it.

— Anand Sharma Congress leader

We want Congress to be strengthened in every district of the country. We do not want it to be weak because if Congress is weak, the nation will be weak.

— Kapil Sibal Congress leader

using the experience of a person like him.

Azad, who was among the vocal letter-writers and was not given a renomination after his Rajya Sabha tenure ended recently, said he has only retired from the Upper House and not from politics. He was the Leader of Opposition in

Rajya Sabha.

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 pollbound states and strengthen the party there.

— PTI Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Raj Babbar during a Shanti Sammelan event in Jammu on Saturday.