Rahul Gandhi says 'will consider' returning as Congress President; waiting for 'clarity'

In the latest development following the CWC meeting on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi has said he "will consider" returning as President of Indian National Congress after everyone present at the Congress Working Committee meeting 'urged' him to take back the top post. 

According to ANI, several senior leaders, including former Defence Minister AK Antony and chief ministers of Punjab, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh agreed unanimously that Rahul Gandhi should become the party chief. Responding assertively, the Wayanad MP said he needs clarity at the level of ideology from the party leaders.

Meanwhile, some leaders suggested that Rahul Gandhi should be made the working president until a new president of the party is elected. After the meeting concluded, Congress leader Ambika Soni told the media that whether Rahul Gandhi will become the party president is up to him.

Rahul Gandhi had quit as Congress chief two years ago, taking responsibility for the embarrassing debacle in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. His resignation threw the party into a leadership crisis from which it hasn't fully recovered and prompted the reinstatement of his mother, Sonia Gandhi, as interim chief.

The Congress Working Committee on its nearly five-hour-long meeting on Saturday decided that elections to the top post will be held between August 21 and September 20, 2022. The meeting took place at Congress headquarters in New Delhi. 

It was attended by 52 top brass leaders including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Vadra, P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh, Chief Ministers Charanjit Singh Channi, Ashok Gehlot, and Bhupesh Bhagel. G-23 leaders like Shashi Tharoor, Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad were also in attendance.

'I am full-time, hands-on Congress President': Sonia Gandhi

In an attempt to silence the dissenting leaders who have been demanding structural changes in the party, Sonia Gandhi asserted that she continues to remain the “full-time and hands-on” chief of Congress. Calling for unity among party ranks, Gandhi warned members to not talk to her via the media and communicate within party office walls. This comes after the G-23 group of dissident Congress leaders openly criticized the high command on several occasions. 

In her opening remarks, Sonia Gandhi asserted, "I am if you will allow me to say so, a full-time and hands-on Congress President. I've always appreciated frankness. There is no need to speak to me through the media. So let us all have a free & honest discussion. But what should get communicated outside the four walls of this room is a collective decision of CWC."