'No Questions Over Congress Chief': Ghulam Nabi Azad After Meeting Sonia Gandhi

The 'rebel' leaders of the Congress party had met at Ghulam Nabi Azad's residence for a second time on Thursday.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Ghulam Nabi Azad.

(Photo: PTI)

Congress party President Sonia Gandhi on Friday, 18 March, met with senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, a day after the 'rebel' leaders of the Congress held a third round of discussions following the disappointing performance in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Addressing the press after the meeting, Azad said that "nobody asked Mrs Gandhi to quit".

"She is Congress President, we are leaders of the party, the feedback which is given to restructure organisation is not meant for public... there is no question on the leadership, when Mrs Gandhi offered (to step back), we all rejected it," Azad said.

He added that the discussion was held to "fight unitedly in the forthcoming Assembly elections to defeat the Opposition parties".

Azad was further quoted as saying, "When the party will go for organisational polls, then there will be deliberations... at that time it will be decided".

Azad's meeting with Gandhi came a day after the G-23 leaders and a few others from the Congress, demanded "collective and inclusive leadership" from the party's top brass.

The dissidents of the Congress party, also known as the G-23, had met at the Delhi residence of Ghulam Nabi Azad for a second time in two days on Thursday, 17 March. The 'rebel' leaders were reportedly upset with the stance that Gandhi-loyalists took at the Congress Working Committee meeting held on Sunday.

Senior politicians Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma were among those in attendance at Azad's residence, as per news agency ANI.

"We believe that the only way forward for the Congress is to adopt the model of collective and inclusive leadership and decision making at all levels... in order to oppose the BJP, it is necessary to strengthen the Congress party. We demand that the Congress party initiate a dialogue with like-minded forces to create a platform to pave the way for a credible alternative in 2024," the G-23 leaders said in a statement after Wednesday's meeting.

Meanwhile, the Gandhi family is reaching out each person in the G-23 group in an attempt for a truce.

Rahul Gandhi met former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday before the G-23 meeting that Hooda was also part of.

(With inputs from IANS.)