I'm full-time, hands-on Congress president: Sonia's message to G-23 at CWC meet

Days after some sections within the Congress questioned the absence of elected party chief Sonia Gandhi has asserted that she is a fulltime handson party president and leaders need not speak to her through the mediaWithout naming anyone Gandhi in a message to the G23 said at the Congress Working Committee CWC meeting that while every member wants the partys revival it can happen only with unity selfcontrol discipline and by keeping the partys interests paramount Her remarks came after some leaders of the group of 23 including Kapil Sibal who had sought organisational overhaul recently questioned who in the Congress was taking decisions in the absence of a fulltime party presidentGhulam Nabi Azad and Sibal had also demanded an early meeting of the CWC to discuss the declining fortunes of the party in the wake of recent defectionsI am if you will allow me to say so a fulltime and handson Congress president Sonia Gandhi asserted The 74yearold leader underscored that she has always appreciated frankness and in a veiled message to G23 leaders including Sibal who recently questioned the decisionmaking process in the party said there is no need to speak to me through the mediaSo let us all have a free and honest discussion But what should get communicated outside the four walls of this room is the collective decision of the CWC she said in her opening remarks at the meeting Gandhi also placed on the table the partys organisational election schedule before the CWCShe also pointed out that in the last two years a large number of Congress leaders particularly the younger ones have taken on leadership roles in communicating party policies and programmes to the people Never have we let issues of public importance and concern go unaddressed You are aware that I have been taking them up with the Prime Minister as have Dr Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi ji I have been interacting with likeminded political parties regularly she said and added that the Opposition parties have issued joint statements on national issues and coordinated our strategy in Parliament as wellAbout the forthcoming assembly elections the Congress chief said the partys preparations had already begun a while back and asserted that though there were many challenges if we are united disciplined and focus on the partys interests alone I am confident that we will do wellElaborating on the issues facing the country the Congress chief noted the CWC is meeting in the background of the continuing agitation by farmers and that it has been over a year since the three black farm laws were bulldozed through Parliament Referring to the Lakhimpur Kheri violence in which four farmers were mowed down by an SUV on October 3 she said the shocking incident shows the mindset of the BJP as to how it perceives the farmers movement and how it has been dealing with this determined struggle by the farmers to protect their lives and livelihoodsUnion Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishras son Ashish Mishra who has been named in an FIR was arrested on Saturday by the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with the mowing down of four farmers on October 3 in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh In her remarks Gandhi also alleged that the governments only answer for economic recovery is selling off national assets and its singlepoint agenda was becho becho becho sell sell sellNoting that the Government of India has changed its vaccine procurement policy since the CWC last met in May she said this has been done in response to the states demands and was one of those rare occasions when the states were heard and the country benefitted Even so cooperative federalism remains only a slogan and the Centre loses no opportunity to put nonBJP states at a disadvantage she allegedGandhi also flagged concerns over the sudden spurt in killings in Jammu and Kashmir and said minorities have been targeted This must be condemned in the strongest possible terms She also hit out at the government over its foreign policy and said a broad consensus that has been there on it always has been damaged because of Prime Minister Narendra Modis continued reluctance to take the Opposition into confidence in any meaningful mannerAlso Read Sidhu meets Rahul Gandhi withdraws resignation as Punjab Cong presidentForeign policy has become a diabolical instrument of electoral mobilisation and polarisation Gandhi alleged We face serious challenges on our borders and other fronts The prime minister telling the opposition leaders last year that there had not been any occupation of our territory by China and his silence ever since is costing our nation dearlySonia Gandhi former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh and Charanjit Channi of Punjab attended the meeting the first such physical meeting of the partys highest decisionmaking body since the outbreak of the Covid pandemicG23 leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma were among those present at the meeting at the All India Congress Committee headquartersThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever