Sonia Gandhi named interim Congress President

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Sonia Gandhi named interim Congress President

The CWC meeting began its meeting today morning. After initial consultation, five groups were formed

Sunday August 11, 2019 0:18 AM, ummid.com with inputs from IANS

[Sonia Gandhi at a prayer meeting held for former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit on Saturday. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are also seen. (Photo: Twitter/INCIndia)]

New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) after a marathon meeting Saturday named Sonia Gandhi as the interim President of the Congress party.

Sonia Gandhi, who is ailing and had stepped down as party President in December 2017, will again head the party as an interim measure. Her name was announced at the Congress Working Committee meeting, which ended its second session of deliberations after more than two hours.

The CWC meeting began its meeting today morning. After initial consultation, five groups were formed. The groups comprised of CWC members, state party chiefs and others unitedly proposed Rahul Gandhi's name as party chief. After Rahul refused to go back on his decision, the mantle fell on Sonia again to shepherd the party.

"The CWC considered the views of PCC Presidents, CLP Leaders, AICC Secretaries and Members of Parliament. The CWC unaimously resolved that Rahul Gandhi should continue as Congress President. However Rahul Gandhi declined to withdraw his resignation", the CWC resolution said.

"Consequently, the CWC unaimously resolved to request Mrs Sonia Gandhi to takeover as Interim President pending the election of a regular President by the AICC", it added.

Situation in Jammu and Kashmir

Sonia Gandhi's appointment as interim president was announced soon after Rahul Gandhi told reporters at AICC headquarters that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to decide the new party chief was stopped to discuss the situation in Jammu and Kashmir over the reports of violence and asked the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to clear what is happening in Kashmir and Ladakh.

"I was called just now by the CWC because some reports have come in that some things are going very wrong in Jammu and Kashmir, there is violence and people are dying there. So we stopped our deliberation on the Congress President issue and we have a presentation on what was going in Jammu and Kashmir", Rahul Gandhi said.

"It is very important that the government of India and Prime Minister make it very clear what is happening in Union Territory of J&K and Ladakh," he said.

"The government needs to explain reports that are coming in and assuage the country and tell the country exactly what is happening and be completely transparent", he said.

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