G-23 leaders proposed Mukul Wasnik's name for new Congress President: Report

New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader Mukul Wasnik was the suggested name by the G-23 leaders for the post of Congress Party President, reported ANI quoting inside sources.

The reports come ahead of the high-level meeting of the Congress Working Committee at 4 pm on Sunday to discuss the party’s poor performance in the assembly elections 2022 in all five states amid reports of likely changes in top leadership.

Currently, Sonia Gandhi is the interim president of the Congress.

According to ANI sources, the G-23 leaders, a name was given to the dissident group within the party, which includes veterans like Kapil Sibal, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, had suggested Mukul Wasnik for the post of president of the party.

However, the reports suggest that Wasnik’s name was not accepted by the Congress Working Committee.

The source, who is a part of G23, also said that the new party president should lead the party in the manner as was done by Sonia Gandhi in early 2000.

The source added, "Though Sonia Gandhi is the (interim) president, it is virtually (being) run by KC Venugopal, Ajay Maken and Randeep Surjewala. There is no accountability fixed on them."

"Rahul Gandhi is not the president. But he operates from behind the scene and takes decisions. He does not communicate openly. We are party's well-wishers and not enemies," added the source.

Rahul Gandhi had resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in general elections in 2019.

Later, Sonia Gandhi who took over the reins of the party again as interim president had also offered to quit in August 2020 after an open revolt by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.