Truce being worked out with G-23 ahead of big Cong meet

New Delhi, Oct 10 (IANS) Truce is being worked out between G-23 leaders and the Congress leadership in the party ahead of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting slated for Saturday. The CWC, which is the highest decision making body of the party, is likely to give a nod to the organisational polls, which is the key demand of the dissenting group.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is reaching out to the other camp through emissaries. Kamal Nath has been talking to the dissenting group and Priyanka has also been trying to reach out to the G-23 by involving Bhupinder Hooda's son Deepender Hooda with her protest on Lakhimpur Kheri violence. She has also taken the junior Hooda to Varanasi for her rally.

The sign of thaw emerges from the Congress letter, which has been written by party General Secretary K.C. Venugopal seeking an appointment with President Ram Nath Kovind to submit a memorandum on the Lakhimpur Kheri incident. The signatories of the letter include Ghulam Nabi Azad -- on the second number after Rahul Gandhi. Azad is one among the G-23 leaders.

The Congress has been mired with internal rift since August 2020 last year when a letter was written to Sonia Gandhi for visible and effective leadership. Last month Ghulam Nabi Azad again wrote a letter to Sonia Gandhi for calling CWC meet, and now the Congress high command has called the meeting on October 16.

Senior party leader Kapil Sibal had recently said, "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."

But after the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, the G-23 has toned down its statements. One of the G-23 leaders Anand Sharma has been all praise for the Gandhis, "Commending @RahulGandhi and @PriyankaGandhi's courageous act of compassion and solidarity with farmers whose sons were killed. A sincere and expressed commitment to fight for justice for the bereaved farmers which must be supported by all who respect the rule of law."