G23 leader Anand Sharma allegedly meets JP Nadda; claims 'no political significance'

In a big political development on Thursday, sources indicated that G23 leader Anand Sharma met BJP president JP Nadda sparking speculation of his quitting Congress. While refraining from confirming or denying this, Sharma told the media that he has the right to openly meet Nadda if he wants to as they share a social relationship. Moreover, he revealed that the Himachal Pradesh University Alumni Association had invited him and Nadda to felicitate them. 

Anand Sharma remarked, "If I have to meet, I have every right to meet. For me, he (JP Nadda) is not the BJP president only. He and I come from the state. We share the same alma mater. Our family relationship is there, social relationship is there. We meet in social functions, marriages and even in grief. So, there should not be any political significance attached to our relationship. If I have to meet him, I will go openly. What's the big deal. I belong to the Indian National Congress and he is the president of BJP. I respect that. At the same time, being ideological opponents does not mean that there is a personal division between us." 

Anand Sharma's association with G23

In a letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi on 23 August 2020, 23 senior party leaders observed that the uncertainty over the leadership and the drift in the party have weakened Congress and demoralized the workers. The signatories to the letter included Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor, Vivek Tankha, Mukul Wasnik, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Prithviraj Chavan, Milind Deora, Sandeep Dixit and Raj Babbar. The G23 leaders stressed the need for full-time leadership and conducting elections at all levels including the Congress Working Committee.

Sharma, in particular, hasn't hesitated in publicly airing his grievances. For instance, he opposed Congress' alliance with the Indian Secular Front headed by influential cleric Abbas Siddiqui for the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls. While he argued that this tie-up is against Congress' core ideology, the Sonia Gandhi-led party still went ahead with the alliance. In the last couple of years, the former Union Minister is perceived to have been sidelined within Congress and was even denied another Rajya Sabha stint after his term ended this year.