The story does not end with Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma’s comments on Rahul Gandhi’s North-South commentary. Several members of the group of 23, who wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi in August last year, are now ready for another confrontation. But this time it is far from Delhi.
As Ghulam Nabi Azad returns to Jammu for a series of public meetings and returns home after a year, the battlefield has changed. This site has been carefully chosen as its independent karmabhoomi and may very well land for another rebellion in the party. Interestingly, it will not be free alone. There are six other rebels in his favor – Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma, Vivek Tankha, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Manish Tiwari and Bhupinder Hooda.
The message is very clear. It is a show of solidarity and courage for the party. Azad’s recent farewell, where the PM was emotional, after his party rejected the proposal of allies to get him a Rajya Sabha seat from another state, is believed to have hurt Azad and others. Adding to this fact is that no senior is consulted as soon as the Congress faces an important election.
Azad, well versed with the functioning of the DMK, was not sent to negotiate seat-sharing. Randeep Surjewala was succeeded by him. This has increased the anger of Bhupendra Hooda, who was hoping to get support from the party to topple the Khattar government. But Surjewala and Kumari Selja, popularly known as Hooda Buyers, are believed to have rejected the idea and Rahul Gandhi agreed with them.
Anand Sharma is also hurt by the fact that for one year for the tenure of the Rajya Sabha, he was ignored for the post of Leader of the Opposition. It was given to Mallikarjun Kharge, a confidant of Rahul Gandhi. Sources say that some rebel groups suggested to Anand Sharma that he should resign. Which course did not take place
what then? Two points will be made in this show of solidarity in Jammu. One, why are they or seniors not advised on election strategy and two, who is taking decisions in the absence of a full-time president?
All eyes will be on the election results. Now, if Rahul wins in states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu and performs well in Assam, it is the new guard who will remain in control. But if the results are poor, the group of 23 will use the show as a fully launching pad for the war against the new Congress by a group of seven in solidarity in Jammu.
Senior Congress leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma on Saturday, 27 February, attended the ‘Shanti Sammelan’ in Jammu.
Most of the leaders in Jammu at the moment are senior members of Congress who have been seen as dissenters on various occasions for having spoken up against the party’s decisions and functioning.
They have also been referred to as G-23, a group of 23 dissenting leaders.
“People say ‘G23’, I say Gandhi 23. With the belief, resolve and thinking of Mahatma Gandhi, this nation’s law and Constitution was formed. Congress is standing strongly to take these forward. ‘G23’ want Congress to be strong,” party leader Raj Babbar said.
“The truth is that we see Congress party becoming weak. That is why we have gathered here. We had gathered together earlier too and we have to strengthen the party together,” senior party leader Kapil Sibal said.