Congress Working Committee began consultations to find its next president, United Progressive Alliance chief Sonia Gandhi and outgoing party head Rahul Gandhi left the meeting midway, saying they couldn’t be part of the process.
“We cannot be part of this process,” Sonia Gandhi said after she recused herself from the deliberations.
Rahul Gandhi left soon after, saying he would be visiting his parliamentary constituency Wayanad in Kerala, which is currently ravaged by heavy rains.
Sonia Gandhi said her name was included by default in the region-wise committees formed for wider consultations on selecting a new party chief.
The CWC has decided to have consultations with leaders from across the country and the party’s top decision-making body then was divided into five groups for different regions — northeast, east, north, west and south.
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the CWC will meet again during the day to discuss the reports of the sub-groups and take a call on Rahul Gandhi’s resignation by evening.
“The CWC will meet again this evening to take a call on the reports of CWC sub-groups. There was a sense that the situation of impasse on Congress leadership should be resolved as soon as possible. Therefore it was felt that the CWC should meet again this evening and take a call on the issue,” Surjewala said.
Meanwhile, leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary said that the CWC will meet again in the evening to finalise the party chief by 9 pm tonight.
