How Congressmen writing papers remained under the radar for months

 

New Delhi:

A "dissident letter" by 23 Congress leaders that was seen as a challenge to the Gandhi leadership had developed after months of planning and discussion by a core group, one of the signatories of the letter, a veteran Congressman .

This leader said the letter called for extensive reform, collective decision-making and "full-time, visible leadership", which had dropped a few days earlier, but had been in operation for more than five months.

The signatory said stealth was ensured with the strategy of holding meetings in small groups - no more than five at a time. The meetings mainly took place in the houses of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma, who reached out to various leaders in an attempt to divide people who shared similar views about the party's drift.

According to the signatory, the discussion started in January this year and began around March-April following the Madhya Pradesh subduction. Rahul Gandhi turned Jyotiraditya Scindia into BJP, which toppled the Congress government of Kamal Nath, giving many setbacks within the party.

For the so-called "dissidents", the main concern was his belief that Rahul Gandhi was "completely prejudiced" against the veteran leaders seen close to his mother Sonia Gandhi. He "wants to throw us into the Yamuna," the leader said.

Concerned over the state of affairs, the group kept asking for a meeting with Sonia Gandhi. When the interim Congress chief did not approve the appointment, the letter plan came to be.

For confidentiality, no one was given a copy of the letter; The draft was read to everyone. In this way the ginger group remained under the radar for five months.

With their careful access, the number rose to over 20 by June-July. "We may be more but have decided to stay with a small group or the plan is leaked," the signer said.

Leaders had a deadline of August 10 - when Sonia Gandhi's one-year term as interim chief was to end.

However, the 73-year-old, who had been battling health problems for some time, was hospitalized in late July for what was called a "routine checkup".

One of the letter writers said, "We waited for her to come back from the hospital and check several times. She was back on August 2 and the letter was sent on August 7-8."

A second letter - a reminder - was sent about a week later, when there was no earlier response. "We urge you not to take any important decision without addressing the concerns in the letter," the new letter said, reflecting the concern in the group that Sonia Gandhi's successor could be appointed without her knowledge.

Sonia Gandhi then called Ghulam Nabi Azad and said that she was unwell, so she could not give any answer. Mr. Azad is on record saying: "I told Sonia ji, your health is paramount, everyone else can wait."

Mr Azad and three other signatories to the letter, who joined the fiery Congress Working Committee (CWC), faced a "choreographed attack" on the letter on Monday, the signatories said.

A furious Rahul Gandhi intervened sometime after the online meeting started and reportedly said: "I stopped my mother from reading the letter because it would bother them."

This was the reaction of the dissidents when they were being attacked when their colleagues did not even read the letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi. The contents of the letter were leaked a day before the meeting.

But after the sharp attack, accusation, the meeting ended with a reconciliation agreement with Sonia Gandhi stating that all had been forgiven.

The party supported the Gandhi leadership and promised to promote Sonia and Rahul Gandhi at one point of time in the opposition's fight against central government policies. The party said that Sonia Gandhi will remain the interim Congress chief until the All India Congress Committee (AICC) meets in six months. The Congress also decided to set up a committee to investigate the complaints in the letter.

The dissidents are said to be largely satisfied that the AICC session has been called. He believes that Rahul Gandhi will return as President, a post which he renounced after the Congress's consecutive defeat in the national election. One leader said, "But he is now (after the letter) conversing with us."