CWC Meeting: Sonia Gandhi To Remain As Interim Congress President

NEW DELHI: The day-long high voltage political drama ended back where it had started from, Sonia Gandhi continuing as the interim chief of the party. Congress Working Committee on Monday urged Sonia Gandhi to continue as its interim chief till an AICC session can be convened.

The CWC meeting ended with a message that "no one will be permitted to undermine or weaken the party and its leadership at this juncture". At over seven-hour long meeting, held in the context of more than 23 party leaders seeking an urgent organizational reform and collective leadership, Sonia Gandhi is said to have offered to quit but was asked to remain on by the top decision-making panel of the party with more than 50 members.

Most of the leaders supported the continuation of Sonia as chief of the party but there were a few who proposed the return of Rahul Gandhi as the president.

Announcing the resolution passed by the CWC, the party's General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal later said at a press conference that the CWC unanimously requested Gandhi to continue to "lead the Indian National Congress until such time as circumstances will permit an AICC session to be convened."

The party further made it clear that no one would be allowed to undermine or weaken the party and its leadership.The CWC unanimously resolved to strengthen the hands of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in every possible way.

At the meeting, former prime minister Manmohan Singh urged Sonia Gandhi to continue as Congress president and then the other leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, the senior-most signatory and a CWC member, Anand Sharma, Mukul Wasnik echoed him.