'Give strength to Congress': Kamal Nath appeals to Sonia Gandhi to continue as party chief

Several Congress leaders on Sunday backed Gandhi family amidst growing unrest with party deeply divided on leadership issue on eve of crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting. One of leaders among se is former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath who appealed party president Sonia Gandhi to 'give strength to Congress Party' by continuing as President and lead party.

'Give strength to Congress'

In a series of tweets, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Nath made an appeal to Gandhi, a day before Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting is scheduled to be held on Monday. "Any suggestion or insinuation that Mrs Sonia Gandhi's leadership is in question is absurd. I appeal to Mrs Sonia Gandhi to give strength to Congress Party by continuing as President and lead Congress," Nath said.

Congress general secretary furr said that he had worked with Gandhi family members and Sonia Gandhi led Congress Party to victory in 2004 general elections.

Or leaders including Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Karnataka unit chief DK Shivakumar have requested Sonia Gandhi to continue as party president. This came after 23 party leaders wrote to Sonia Gandhi seeking revamp of major bodies. Earlier, sources said that she might offer to step down in CWC and ask party to look for a full-time president. AICC media chief Randeep Surjewala, however, denied it.

re has been a debate in Congress on issue of leadership with a section of party pitching for return of Rahul Gandhi as party president.

READ | 'Congress is only safe in Sonia Gandhi or Rahul's hands': Adhir Chowdhury slams dissenters

Congress' string of resignations

Since resignation of  Rahul Gandhi as party chief post-2019 Lok Sabha debacle, several Congress members have resigned from ir posts. Rahul Gandhi's resignation triggered over 200 Congress leaders to resign from ir party post 'in hour and respect of Rahul Gandhi' as stated in ir resignation letters - including Milind Deora, Priyanka Chaturvedi and Jyotiraditya Scindia. 

READ | BJP's Shivraj Chouhan says 'Congress bound to sink' as Sonia Gandhi may resign as chief

While Scindia has since n jumped to BJP, toppling Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, Congress also received a scare as Sachin Pilot along with 18 MLAs split away from Gehlot's Rajasthan government - bringing it to brink of collapse. party has also seen too many defections across states and has also thrown out Sanjay Jha for raising same issues 23 leaders have.

READ | Sonia Gandhi set to resign as Congress interim-chief, tells to 'find a new chief’: sources

READ | Ex-Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah backs Gandhi family's leadership, urges 'strengn Congress'

(With ncy inputs)