‘Not a Part of It’: Cong Leader Veerappa Moily on G-23 Jammu Meet

“It is not a dissidents’ meeting,” Congress leader Moily expressed.

Veerappa Moily

(File Photo: IANS)

Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Monday, 1 March, distanced himself from the G-23 leaders meet that took place in Jammu, and said that it was not a meeting of dissidents. “We are all with the leadership,” he told news agency PTI.

‘G-23’ was coined when a group of bold, senior congress leaders penned a letter to interim president Sonia Gandhi last year, appealing for ‘visible’ and ‘full-time’ leadership of the party.

On Saturday, several of G-23 participants had met in Jammu for ‘Shanti Sammelan’ in a bid to recognise Ghulam Nabi Azad’s retirement from the Rajya Sabha. The meeting had since been perceived as a “show of strength” of dissidents.

On Monday, Moily told news agency PTI that ‘it is not a dissidents’ meeting. We (some of the ‘G-23’ leaders) are not part of it.”

This comes after some leaders, including Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, and Azad had assembled on a stage and expressed that the party was weakening, and they have congregated to strengthen it.

“The truth is that we see Congress party becoming weak. That is why we have gathered here,” senior party leader Sibal had said.

On signing of the August letter, he iterated that the party should not pursue it. “That (G-23) is not meant to be a dissident organisation and will not be. Once the memorandum (the letter) is given, the purpose is over. It’s not (correct) every day… to rake up that issue,” Moily informed PTI.

The purpose of the letter was to facilitate the party’s rebuilding, reformation, and organisational competency in the face of elections, he said. PTI quoted the leader, “To that extent, the purpose of the letter is served.”

He also highlighted that rebuilding is an ongoing process, and Sonia Gandhi had promised changes in the organisation of the INC.

Moily also supported Rahul Gandhi’s return as the president of the party, saying, “We also want him to come back as Sonia ji is not well.”

The former Chief Minister of Karnataka also expressed his belief in the party’s potential to come back to power on electoral basis.

(With inputs from PTI)