Cong tussle not over yet: Ghulam Nabi Azad says 'party chief might not have 1% support'

In a massive statement on Friday, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad once again demanded elections to the Congress Working Committee and key organizational posts of state chiefs, district presidents, block presidents and said that it is unclear if the party president has even one percent support. This comes as rekindling of dissent fire within the Congress, even as party high-command sought to reduce by the old method of placing a Gandhi-Nehru at the helm of affairs.

Speaking to news agency ANI, Ghulam Nabi Azad, one of the signatories to the anti-Sonia letter, said that Congress would continue to sit in the Opposition for the next 50 years, if elections within the party are not conducted. Slamming those for opposing elections, Rajya Sabha member said, “Those office-bearers or state unit presidents or block district presidents who attack our proposal know that they will be nowhere when elections happen. Whoever is genuinely invested in the Congress will welcome the letter. "I have said that I have stated that the party workers should elect state, district and block president,” he said.

"When you contest the election at least 51 percent is with you and you contest the election against only 2 to 3 people within the party. Right now, the person who becomes president might not even have one percent support. If CWC members are elected then they cannot be removed. So what is the problem? If my party wants to be in opposition for the next 50 years, then there is no need for elections within the party,” Ghulam Nabi Azad said. 

Mentioning that the sole purpose of election is to make Congress active and strong, he said, “But those who simply got ‘appointment cards’ continue to oppose our proposal. What’s the harm in having elected CWC members who will have fixed tenures in the party. Anyone who has a genuine interest in the internal working dynamics of Congress would welcome our proposal to have every state and district president as being elected. The entire Congress Working Committee should be elected,” Azad said.

Earlier on Thursday, while siding with Rahul Gandhi's peer Jitin Prasada, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, reprimanded the party for targetting Prasada by an Uttar Pradesh party unit. Taking to Twitter, Sibal said that the party should 'target the BJP with surgical strikes instead of wasting its energy by targeting its own', to which Manish Tiwari tweeted 'prescient'.

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Cong quashes dissent

23 leaders had written to party's interim Chief Sonia Gandhi emphasising the need for the active revival of the party. As the CWC meeting began on August 24, sources reported that Sonia Gandhi offered to step down, whereas Rahul Gandhi expressed his displeasure at the dissenting letter. An all-out war broke out between Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal and the Wayanad MP after the latter said that the dissenters were 'in cahoots with the BJP', which prompted Sibal to lash out on Twitter and Azad to offer to resign. The temporary end to the day-long drama came with Sonia Gandhi continuing to be the 'interim' chief of the grand-old party, till fresh elections are held by AICC in the next six months. A 5-point resolution waxing lyrical about Sonia and Rahul Gandhi was issued. 

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The 23 senior leaders sought 'structural changes', internal election to the CWC even at state levels, the formation of an Independent Election Authority, and institutional leadership mechanism, full-time leadership at the helm at the party.  The 23 signatories include Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Rajender Kaur Bhattal, M. Veerappa Moily, Prithviraj Chavan, P.J. Kurian, Ajay Singh, Renuka Chaudhary, and Milind Deora -  belonging from the Congress' 'old guard ' and the 'young guard' (i.e Rahul Gandhi supporters). Apart from these signatories, over 300 Congress workers support it.

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