Congress to meet amid speculation on Sonia’s role

The party’s leader in the Lok Sabha would have the status of the Leader of the Opposition and there would be more than one claimant if Gandhi declines to take it up. These names include former Union minister N D Tiwari.

Meanwhile, five AICC secretaries in a statement appealed to Gandhi to assume the role of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha in addition to her responsibilities as CPP chairperson and party president. They said she is the undisputed leader of the party and parliament is the forum in which the political battle is joined.

Mani Shankar Aiyer, Ramesh Chennithala, Imran Kidwai, Sidhir Sawant and Mukul Wasnik are the signatories to the statement.

Party spokesperson Ajit Jogi asserted that there was no difference of opinion in the party on Gandhi’s leadership. However, there is no bar on leaders on expressing their views, he said when his attention was drawn to certain statement issued by one leader. The entire rank and file has full faith in her leadership and that is the case with the CPP also, he added.

Jogi said several office bearers have voluntarily resigned to enable Gandhi to revamp the organisational structure.

Replying to a question he ruled out the possibility of any change in the top leadership of the party and said the Congress has considerably strengthened under the leadership of Gandhi. In fact she has arrested the weakening process of the party, he said.

Referring to the setback in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections, Jogi said the party humbly accepted the people’s verdict.