While encouraging all parties to attend the June 19 meeting, PM Modi has stated, “Even parties without a president should attend.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be chairing a meeting of presidents of all parties represented in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha on June 19 to discuss the issue of ‘one nation, one election’.
While PM Modi’s words were viewed by some as a dig at the Congress after Rahul Gandhi’s decision to quit as AICC chief, others felt it was to clarify that outfits like CPI and CPM, which do not have the president post, were also invited.
The fate of the Congress party is still in a state of flux. Uncertainty still looms around the post of its party President. Nearly three and half weeks after the declaration of Lok Sabha results, there is no clarity over whether Rahul Gandhi will continue as Congress President or not. While the CWC has refused Rahul Gandhi’s resignation, Gandhi scion is sticking to his stance and wants the party to choose a new chief.
Meanwhile, ahead of the Parliament session, Congress has maintained that Rahul will continue as the party president. Last week, Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala had said, “He was, is and will remain as the President of the Indian National Congress.”
These remarks were made after the party met, under the leadership of AK Antony to discuss the party’s strategy and preparation for the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
Reiterating the same, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi later said, “I will not say anything more than what my party said earlier. Take this as my repetition, adoption, endorsement and reaffirmation of Shri Surjewala’s statement made on Wednesday.”
Interestingly, Rahul Gandhi, who wanted to resign as the party president earlier and had tendered his resignation to the Congress Committee, of which, he is the Chairperson too, was not present at this strategy meeting and neither was his mother and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
For weeks after the Congress failed to stop PM Narendra Modi’s electoral march, Rahul Gandhi had played out an elaborate drama where he had pretended to want to take responsibility for the poll loss. He had tendered his resignation which was rejected. He had then reportedly said that he was steadfast in his decision to resign. However, now it is apparent that the Congress party doesn’t seem to mind sacrificing its electoral relevance as long as a member of the Gandhi Dynasty is spearheading the sinking ship.