'Discussed Fighting Unitedly': Ghulam Nabi Azad After Meeting Sonia Gandhi Over Leadership Crisis

The meeting is being seen as an endeavour by the Congress president to reach out to the G-23, which has shown signs of increasing aggression on the leadership issue.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad talks to the media after his meeting with Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi met senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad at her official 10, Janpath residence in the national capital this evening.

The meeting is being seen as an endeavour by the Congress president to reach out to the G-23, which has shown signs of increasing aggression on the leadership issue.

“Working Committee was asked for suggestions on the reasons for defeat in five states,” said Azad after the meeting, ANI reported.

“The discussion was held to fight unitedly in the forthcoming assembly elections to defeat the opposition parties,” he added.

The G-23 leaders have expressed their concerns to the party high command post consecutive electoral defeats.

This meeting comes after a crucial Congress Working Committee meeting earlier this week in which the party’s poor performance in the recent assembly elections was discussed.

This comes as the G23 leaders continue to press for “inclusive and collective leadership” at all levels of the Congress post the drubbing in the recent assembly elections.

The G-23 group of dissidents have pushed for an organisational revamp of the party and greater accountability.

Earlier on Wednesday, at least 18 leaders signed a letter that called for a “model of collective and inclusive leadership and decision-making at all levels”.

The G-23 leaders are reportedly dismissive about the announcement to appoint senior leaders to suggest organisational changes.

They have categorically pointed out that some of them were involved in the recent assembly elections and are responsible for the debacle.

Earlier on Tuesday, Gandhi sought the resignations of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Presidents of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur.

The G-23 leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Kapil Sibal, had earlier written to the Congress president, stressing the need for reforms and changes in the organisation.