New Delhi: As the Congress dissenters, called now the G23, are meeting on Wednesday evening, the Gandhi family loyalists have started attacking them with scores of leaders questioning the mass appeal of Kapil Sibal and his contribution to the party. Both the floor leaders of Parliament have sharply attacked the dissenters, particularly Sibal. Leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge said, "Sibal may be good lawyer but not a good leader of the party, he is deliberately trying to weaken the party."
Floor leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that everything was good when he was a Minister and now when out of power, they are raising questions because they can't live without power. Udit Raj too slammed the dissenters and said, "It's a deep conspiracy to blame the Gandhi family for the weakening of the Congress and this is being done cleverly and even common people get carried away. Be aware!"
Congress dissenters will be meeting on Wednesday over dinner at senior leader Kapil Sibal's residence to devise a further strategy after the CWC endorsed Sonia Gandhi's leadership. The group has already reached out to like-minded leaders within the party. Sensing trouble, the Congress president removed party chiefs of five states on Tuesday and now loyalists have started targeting the dissenters.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot hit out at Sibal that he does not know the "ABCD of Congress", and is an outsider who was given everything by the party. Sibal and other leaders from the group have demanded Gandhis to step aside, and pave the way for new leadership. Amid the war within the Congress, talking to IANS, Sandeep Dikshit, a former MP said: "The Congress president should have accessibility, acceptability and accountability."
He said that accessibility to the people and party leaders, acceptability within the public and accountability in the wake of the losses should be there for the president and this should also be the norm for the state chief ministers and state chiefs. Sonia Gandhi in the CWC meeting on Sunday offered to step aside from the leadership along with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, but was rejected by the CWC members.
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IANS
