The timing of the CWC meeting next week and the talk of an AICC meeting expected in March-April, is leading to speculation within the Congress about the “real” agenda of the two meetings.
The timing of the CWC meeting next week and the talk of an AICC meeting expected in March-April, is leading to speculation within the Congress about the “real” agenda of the two meetings. The Congress leaders are not ruling out a possibility of raising the issue of Rahul Gandhi’s elevation for the top post in the CWC meeting.
The CWC meeting is being held here on January 13 at a time when party officials are busy in eliciting views of the grassroots workers on the Congress’ revival on the basis of an 11-page background paper prepared by the AICC. Naturally, the issues related to the organisation should not be on the CWC agenda.
The party cannot even give a call for agitation against the Centre and its “ordinance raj” for the simple reason that it can block these ordinances in the Rajya Sabha with the help of non-NDA parties.
Asked whether the CWC meeting could be for Mr Rahul Gandhi’s elevation as the party chief, a senior AICC official said, “I don’t know.” A CWC member said if Mr Gandhi’s elevation would be an agenda, then the extended CWC meeting would have been called, an atmosphere would have been created. When pointed out that this did not happen when Mr Gandhi was made the party vice-president in January 2013 in Jaipur, the leader said the official agenda for Tuesday’s CWC meeting has not been circulated.
The CWC has been the apex decision-making body of the party. It had “removed” late Sitaram Kesri from the post of Congress president in April 1998 despite his election as the party chief for a full term. And the CWC meeting held in Jaipur in 2013 made Mr Gandhi the vice-president.
Those who have been demanding Mr Gandhi to be made the party president in place of Mrs Sonia Gandhi, cannot remain silent in the CWC meeting,sources said.
As for the talks of holding an AICC meeting is concerned, it could be held before the process of organisational elections completes. After these elections, the party planary has to be called, a new CWC has to be constituted either through contests or nomination, they said.
The current feedback exercise undertaken by the party officials to go back to the grassroots workers to seek their views on the Congress’ revival, will become irrelevant if the CWC comes out with an action plan to take on the Narendra Modi government on issues like the controversial land ordinance which is emerging as a rallying point for the Opposition parties.
