A division of authority in the Congress, with Rahul Gandhi as the leader in the Lok Sabha and a person from outside the Gandhi family as president, could be a possible way out of the tussle in the party, as Ghulam Nabi Azad called on party president Sonia Gandhi on Friday.
Mr. Azad's meeting with Ms. Gandhi came a day after Mr. Gandhi had reached out to a G-23 leader, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and held a 45-minute meeting.
G-23 refers to the group that has been pushing for a collective and inclusive leadership at levels of decision since August 2020 when they wrote a letter to Ms. Gandhi, seeking sweeping changes.
"A way forward for the party is to have Rahul Gandhi take over as leader in the Lok Sabha and have a non-family person as party president,” P.J. Kurian, part of the G-23 group and former Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, told The Hindu.
Suggestions on reforms
He said Mr. Azad and Mr. Hooda were discussing with the Gandhis various suggestions regarding reforms in the party that the group had formulated.
After the one-on-one meeting with the Congress president, Mr Azad said leadership was not an immediate issue, as the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had asked Ms. Gandhi to continue until the organisational elections took place in August-September.
"Suggestions were asked from the CWC [Congress Working Committee] after the defeat in the five Assembly polls. I have also given my suggestions," Mr. Azad said, adding," The discussions were about how to prepare for the polls unitedly and how the Congress can defeat its opponents".
Mr. Azad's meeting with party chief came two came days after a show of strength by G-23 leaders at Mr. Azad's residence.
On Wednesday, apart from the core members of the group like Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari and Kapil Sibal, besides Mr. Hooda and Mr. Azad, several other leaders such as Shashi Tharoor, Prithviraj Chavan and Mr. Kurien joined in.
New colleagues like one time Gandhi family loyalist Mani Shankar Aiyar and Preneet Kaur, Lok Sabha member and wife of former Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh (retd.) were also in attendance.
Party's electoral decline
These leaders also formalised their concern over the party's electoral decline and exodus of leaders by issuing a joint statement.
"We believe that the only way forward for the Congress is to adopt a 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," a G-23 statement said
" We demand the Congress party to initiate dialogue with other like-minded forces to create a platform to pave the way for a credible alternative for 2024," it added.
Sources said the stress on collective and inclusive leadership was a reflection of the group's faith in the leadership of Mr. Gandhi, but, at the same time, there was also an acceptance that the Gandhis have traction among the party's core voters.
