Anand Sharma justifies signing dissent letter, urges more Congress leaders to read it

Former Union Minister Anand Sharma on Tuesday argued that the letter, calling for sweeping reforms within Congress, was written in the best interests of the party. Sharma and the other signatories to the letter had come in for stringent criticism from sections of the party. According to the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, they had shared concerns over the current environment in India where the foundational values of the Constitution are allegedly under assault.

Maintaining that India required a strong opposition to confront BJP, Sharma stressed that suggestions made for Congress' resurgence in good faith cannot be perceived as "dissent". He lamented that many party colleagues were yet to read the letter.

Read: Two Masterminds Of Congress Dissent Letter Not Among 23 Signatories; Claiming Neutrality

Sonia Gandhi to continue as interim president

The CWC on Monday decided that Sonia Gandhi will continue as the interim president at least until the next AICC session is convened. It appreciated the role of Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul in taking on the Centre for its alleged inadequate response to crises such as COVID-19 and the Chinese aggression. Unanimously resolving to strengthen the hands of the Congress president and Rahul Gandhi, the CWC made it clear that no one can be permitted to weaken the party and its leadership at this juncture. It advised leaders to raise issues only in the party fora in the interest of discipline. Moreover, the CWC authorised the Congress president to make appropriate organizational changes. 

Read: Congress Chaos Over Anti-Sonia Letter Continues; PC Chacko Tut-tuts Dissenters' Behaviour

Congress leaders call for reforms

Several Congress leaders wrote to the Congress president on August 12 calling for sweeping changes in the party's functioning. The 23 leaders who have signed the letter are Sharma, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor, Vivek Tankha, M Veerappa Moily, Mukul Wasnik, Jitin Prasada, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Prithviraj Chavan,  PJ Kurian, Ajay Singh, Renuka Chaudhary, Milind Deora, Sandeep Dixit, Raj Babbar, Arvinder Singh Lovely, Kaul Singh Thakur, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, former Haryana Speaker Kuldeep Sharma and former Delhi Speaker Yoganand Shastri. 

They observed that the uncertainly over the leadership and the drift in the party have weakened Congress and demoralized the workers. The letter reportedly mentioned many suggestions such as the need for a full-time leadership available at the national and state headquarters, conducting elections at all levels including the Congress Working Committee and state level, the formation of an Independent Election Authority, and institutional leadership mechanism to guide the party's revival. 

Read: Shiv Sena Warns Ally Congress After CWC Mess; Tells Rahul & Sonia To Rein In Their Flock