It seems like Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his team will have to be more convincing if they have to get permission from the trustees of Mahatma Gandhi Sevagram Ashram to hold the party's Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting on October 2, the birth anniversary of the father of the nation.

Sources said the trustees have politely declined permission to the Congress for its meeting on the ashram premises, saying the place is not meant for political activities. "The trustees have conveyed this to the Congress leaders [party general secretary Ashok Gehlot and state unit president Ashok Chavan) who were in Sevagram (70km from Nagpur] on Monday to request for permission and also mobilise the local leadership," said a person who works closely with the ashram.