The Congress party story of G-23 will continue as the group is planning a second event in Kurukshetra, Haryana, while leaders are critical of party decisions and the party’s high command evaluating the situation. The situation is being dealt with complete care by the high command so that no wrong message goes to the party staff, whereas the heads are not willing to take action against senior leaders who gathered at the event of Gandhi Global Family in Jammu, sources say.
"Planning of a rally is underway in Kurukshetra district. Though it is yet to be finalised under which banner it would be held, G-23 leaders are not in a mood to normalise the tension building up after the group opened a front in Jammu in which leaders like Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tiwari, Raj Babbar, Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the party is getting weak which is weakening the opposition too. Sibal had advocated for Azad, saying, "We do not know why the party is not using the experience of Gulam Nabi Azad."
"It would have been better if they helped the Congress in five poll-bound states. These are respected leaders and we respect them,” party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said in response from the forum.
The leader said: "The one who has used the term 'used' does not know the legacy of the party. The man about whom the word has been used has been a Congress MP seven times.”
"Soniaji made him the Chief Minister. Indiraji bestowed a cabinet berth in the central government. He has been a general secretary in the party and has exercised supervision over 20 states across the nation," the leader said.
A senior leader who attended the Gandhi Global Family Function in Jammu had written a letter to Sonia Gandhi, told news agency ANI that no one from the AICC contacted them after the programme and "We are being advised to work for the Congress in poll-bound states but we have not been made a star campaigner by the party. If we go for campaigning it will be included at the expense of a candidate and we have not been contacted and assigned any task but we will continue to raise our voices to strengthen the party and we will go to the other states too."
The crisis went far up when senior leader Anand Sharma raised questions about the party's Alliance with Indian Secular Front (ISF) and said that Congress’s alliance with parties like ISF and other forces are against the core ideology of the party and Gandhian and Nehruvian secularism.
“Congress cannot be selective in fighting communalists but must do so in all its manifestations, irrespective of religion and colour. The presence and endorsement by the West Bengal PCC president are painful and shameful. He must clarify,” Sharma tweeted.
Also Read: Senu Duggal, Baldeep Kaur, the two women officers from Punjab promoted to IAS cadre
After that AICC in Incharge of West Bengal Jitin Prasad wrote on Twitter, "Alliance decisions are taken keeping in mind the best interests of the party and the workers. Now is the time for everyone to join hands and work towards strengthening the prospects of Congress in the poll-bound states. @INCIndia @rssurjewala @adhirrcinc @AnandSharmaINC."
"Know ur facts @AnandSharmaINC Ji CPI(M) led Left Front is leading the secular alliance in West Bengal of which Congress is an integral part. We are determined to defeat BJP's communal and divisive politics and an autocratic regime,” Leader of the Party in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary said.