Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday (August 24) offered to step down from all positions in the party after former party president Rahul Gandhi reportedly ‘accused the 23 dissent letter writers of colluding with BJP’.
The crucial meeting of the Working Committee took place amid divisions in the party over the leadership issue. A group of 23 party leaders wrote a letter to Sonia earlier this month seeking an overhaul of the organisation. The letter, however, was criticised by Rahul and few other party leaders.
Former union minister Kapil Sibal, who was also part of the group who raised concerns about the leadership and signed the letter, took to social media with a blistering response to Rahul’s ‘colluding with BJP’ allegation, writing, that he had been defending the party for 30 years.
“Rahul Gandhi says we are colluding with BJP. Succeeded in Rajasthan High Court defending the Congress party. Defending party in Manipur to bring down BJP Government. Last 30 years have never made a statement in favour of BJP on any issue Yet ” we are colluding with the BJP !” Sibal tweeted.
He, however, later deleted the tweet after receiving clarification on Rahul’s remark. “Was informed by Rahul Gandhi personally that he never said what was attributed to him . I therefore withdraw my tweet,” Sibal shared on Twitter after deleting his previous post.
Congress’s Randeep Singh Surjewala rejected the news reports that claimed Rahul had said anything like this. “Rahul Gandhi has not said a word of this nature nor alluded to it. Pl don’t be mislead by false media discourse or misinformation being spread. But yes, we all need to work together in fighting the draconian Modi rule rather than fighting & hurting each other & the Congress,” Surjewala said in response to Sibal’s tweet.