New Delhi, Aug 23 (UNI) A meeting of the Congress Working Committee, the highest decision-making body in the party, will be held on Monday, to deliberate on the current political situation and the issue of change in leadership in the party.

To be chaired by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the meeting of CWC comes amid an increasing demand within the party for an overhaul in the organisational set up, as the party gets ready to take on the Narendra Modi government on various issues, including downslide in the economy, rising unemployment, constantly increasing number of COVID cases, and the long-standing standoff with China on the border.

The predominant focus in the CWC meeting is likely to be on the issue of change in leadership of the party. On August 10, Ms Gandhi completed one year as interim Congress chief.

Congress had then said that she would continue till the process for electing the party president gets implemented.

In the last few months, there has been a renewed demand from several quarters for bringing back Rahul Gandhi as the Congress chief, given the fact that he has, in the past one year, constantly taken on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government at the Centre on various issues like rising unemployment, mismanagement of the COVID crisis, the failure of the Modi government to prevent Chinese intrusion in the Indian territory and alleged irregularities in the deal for Rafale fighter aircraft.

Though, an year ago, Rahul Gandhi had insisted that no member of the Gandhi family would assume the post of party chief, many in the party feel that in the current situation, it is only a young leader like Rahul Gandhi who can take on the Modi Government given the fact that he has relentlessly attacked the PM and the BJP on various issues.
The renewed pitch for Rahul as party chief comes after the significant role played by him in resolving the longstanding crisis faced by the Congress Party in Rajasthan after a meeting with party rebel Sachin Pilot.

Sources said the meeting of the CWC is likely to witness a heated discussion on the issue of an overhaul of the national leadership and need for a more robust strategy to take on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Union government.

Ahead of the CWC meeting, senior Congress leaders wrote a letter to Ms Gandhi, in which they highlighted the need for sweeping changes in the party organisation, to arrest the erosion of the party's support base. Asked for the party's response on the letter written to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, most of the party leaders again demanded the responsibility to be handed over to former party chief Rahul Gandhi.

Mr Gandhi resigned from the post of President taking responsibility for the party's defeat in the 2019 general elections and after that, his mother Sonia Gandhi was re-elected as the interim President.
Now, the demand to make Mr Gandhi president again was gaining momentum. Several people, including party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, have said from the party platform that the demand to re-appoint Mr Gandhi to the post of president was in line with the sentiments of most party leaders.

The CWC meeting is also likely to discuss general issues like prevailing political circumstances, the Chinese border intrusion, unemployment in the country and economic situation in the country. Also, the Election Commission's new guidelines for conducting elections due to COVID-19 restriction could come up for discussion.

UNI AR RJ 1823