G-23 leader raises poll preps issue & attack on Sibal's house in CWC meet

New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) In the CWC meeting that took place on Saturday here, Congress leader and one of the prominent members of G-23, Ghulam Nabi Azad raised issues of poll preparations for the upcoming assembly elections, sources said.

Azad said that he has done nothing which could harm the party but whatever he has said is in the interest of the party and asked what is the strategy for the upcoming assembly polls, sources said. He also raised the issue of recent electoral reverses the party faced.

The G-23 leader was upset over the alleged attack at Kapil Sibal's residence by Congress workers and asked who instigated those workers who went to protest, pointing fingers on the party leaders.

Sources say that two Rahul Gandhi loyalists general secretaries tried to corner the leaders of G-23 as they were given tough response about recent poll debacles.

Azad and Anand Sharma reiterated faith in Sonia Gandhi's leadership and said that if they were heard before there would have been no need for them to go public, it's good that the meeting has been called.

The G-23 leaders say that they have partially succeeded on the issue of fresh organisational elections which was their key demand.

The Congress Working committee met on Saturday to discuss issues related to party functioning and internal elections.

Addressing the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, interim President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday slammed party leaders for speaking to the media.

In her opening remarks, she said: "I have always appreciated frankness. There is no need to speak to me through the media. So let us all have a free and honest discussion. But what should get communicated outside the four walls of this room is the collective decision of the CWC."

Sonia Gandhi's statement came after senior party leader Kapil Sibal had recently said that "there is no president in our party, so we do not know who is taking all the decisions. We know it, yet we don't know, one of my senior colleagues perhaps has written or is about to write to the interim president to immediately convene a CWC meeting so that a dialogue can be initiated".

In her remarks on Saturday, she also said the party is ready for the internal elections.