Chorus grows for Rahul Gandhi to become Congress president

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Congress Working committee members on Saturday appealed to Rahul Gandhi to take over as the president of the party. A proposal in this regard was mooted by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and vetted by other Chief Ministers and leaders.

Senior Congress leader Ambika Soni said, "all the members were unanimous that Rahul Gandhi should take over as president of the Congress party."

The Congress Working committee, the highest decision making body of the party, has given go ahead to the internal elections of the party.

Earlier the CWC met for more than five hours and deliberated upon the issues of organisational elections, upcoming assembly polls and issues faced by common man.

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, interim President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday slammed party leaders for speaking to the media.

In her opening remarks, she said: "I have always appreciated frankness. There is no need to speak to me through the media. So 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."

Sonia Gandhi's statement comes after senior party leader Kapil Sibal had recently said that "there is no president in our party, so we do not know who is taking all the decisions. We know it, yet we don't know, one of my senior colleagues perhaps has written or is about to write to the interim president to immediately convene a CWC meeting so that a dialogue can be initiated".

In her remarks on Saturday, she also said the party is ready for the internal elections.

"The entire organisation wants a revival of the Congress. But this requires unity and keeping the party's interests paramount. Above all, it requires self-control and discipline. I am acutely conscious of the fact that I have been interim Congress President ever since the CWC asked me to return in this capacity in 2019," Sonia Gandhi said.