New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: The Congress on Monday dismissed sacked party leader Sanjay Jha's claim that 100 Congress leaders, including MPs, have written to interim President Sonia Gandhi, demanding change in political leadership and claimed that the "non-existent letter" was an attempt to divert attention from the Facebook controversy.
"There is no such letter written by Congress members or MPs and the individual in question is doing this at the behest of the BJP to deflect the issue from BJP and its linkage with Facebook," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
Earlier in the day, sacked Congress Sanjay Jha said that around 100 Congress leaders have sought transparent elections in the party's Working Committee and written a letter to the party supremo. "It is estimated that around 100 Congress leaders (including MP's) , distressed at the state of affairs within the party, have written a letter to Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Congress President, asking for change in political leadership and transparent elections in CWC," he wrote on Twitter.
The former Congress spokesperson didn't reveal the name of the leaders and the details of the exact content of the letter. However, he wrote, "Watch this space" in his tweet, apparently hinting that more details will be shared soon.
It is estimated that around 100 Congress leaders (including MP's) , distressed at the state of affairs within the party, have written a letter to Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Congress President, asking for change in political leadership and transparent elections in CWC.
Watch this space.
— Sanjay Jha (@JhaSanjay) August 17, 2020
Sonia Gandhi's tenure extended until 'proper procedure' to elect a new chief
Recently, Congress party had extended Sonia Gandhi's tenure as interim president, which ended on August 10, till the time a "proper procedure" is implemented to elect a new chief. "Sonia Gandhi is the president, she will continue till such time as a proper procedure is implemented and it will be implemented in the not too distant future," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said.
Several Congress leaders have been demanding that a full-time president should be elected soon. Soon after the extension of Sonia Gandhi's tenure, Congress MP from Kerala, Shashi Tharoor said that there is a growing public perception that the party is "adrift and rudderless" adding that the process of finding a full-term president must be expedited in order to contain that.
"I certainly believe we should be clear about our leadership going forward. I welcomed Sonia ji's appointment as interim president last year, but I do believe it's unfair to her to expect her to carry this burden indefinitely," Tharoor told news agency PTI in an interview.
"We also need to arrest the growing public perception, fuelled by a dismissive media, that the Congress is adrift and rudderless, incapable of taking up the challenge of a credible national Opposition," the former Union minister had added.
Sonia Gandhi was forced to take up the leadership role after her son Rahul Gandhi quit as Congress president following the party's abysmal performance in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. While a section of Congress leader wants Rahul Gandhi to again lead the party, he himself has been reluctant and reportedly suggested that a non-Gandhi must become the Congress president.
Posted By: Shashikant Sharma
