Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Aug 23: Former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is also the current opposition leader, on Sunday August 23 backed Rahul Gandhi as the next national Congress president.
The leadership crisis within the Congress deepened on Sunday as 23 top party leaders, including the likes of Kapil Sibal and Shashi Tharoor, writing a letter to interim chief Sonia Gandhi expressing concerns over leadership and other issues, especially in the wake of the recent political events in Rajasthan.
File Photo
Responding to the letter, Sonia Gandhi offered to step down and asked the leaders to get together and choose the next party president. She is likely to step down during the Congress working committee's meeting to be held on Monday August 24.
Taking to Twitter, Siddaramaiah batted for Rahul Gandhi to don the mantle of the next party chief. "We strongly feel that Shri. @RahulGandhi should take charge as AICC President in the interest of our country. His leadership will rejuvenate Congress, energize party workers & reassure the people of our country (sic)."
He added in another tweet, "I am confident that Shri. @RahulGandhi, under the guidance of Smt. Sonia Gandhi & other senior leaders, will successfully lead Indian National Congress party. Even our party workers feel the same (sic)."
Earlier in the day, the senior Congress leader slammed those raising the question of leadership in the party and called for collective action to strengthen the party. "It is unfortunate that the leadership of Gandhi family is being questioned by few. In these difficult times of undeclared emergency & attack on democracy by @BJP4India, we should collectively strive to strengthen @INCIndia & not weaken it (sic)."
Congress Communication Department chief Randeep Surjewala, however, has denied any move regarding leadership change by Sonia Gandhi, saying nothing has been communicated by the interim President or said on her behalf.
Meanwhile, state Congress units are likely to hold emergency meetings to back the Gandhis for the top post.
Even some of the leaders who have written the letter to the party, said that there is no dispute on the leadership issue of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
The pro-Gandhi brigade is likely to take on the dissenters in the CWC meet, while many names have started doing the rounds, especially two Dalit leaders - Mallikarjun Kharge and Sushilkumar Shinde, as likely replacements if Sonia Gandhi doesn't want to continue.
While Kharge is close to Rahul Gandhi, Shinde has been a former Home Minister and Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Sources say that a collective system may also be proposed or a team of leaders may be appointed as Vice Presidents to assist Sonia Gandhi in case there is no consensus on the change of the leadership and Rahul Gandhi does not want to return to the leadership role.