G-23 Member Bhupinder Hooda Meets Rahul Gandhi a Day After Congress Rebels Meet

The G-23 meeting, which included several newcomers, had called for "collective, inclusive leadership" in the party.

Hooda is the first leader among the G-23 to meet Gandhi after the meeting on Wednesday that was conducted to discuss the flaws in the Congress' organisational structure and lack of leadership from the top brass.

(Photo Courtesy: Facebook/Bhupinder Singh Hooda)

A day after the meeting of G-23 members of the Congress Party following the party's debacle in the recently-concluded Assembly elections, former Haryana Chief Minister and G-23 member Bhupinder Singh Hooda met Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, 17 March.

Hooda is the first leader among the G-23 to meet Gandhi after the meeting on Wednesday, that was conducted to discuss the flaws in the Congress' organisational structure and lack of leadership from the top brass.

The meet is being viewed as an outreach by the Gandhi family towards dissenters in the party.

After his meeting with Gandhi, Hooda and Congress leader Anand Sharma are said to have met Ghulam Nabi Azad at his residence, news agency ANI reported.

The G-23 Meet

The G-23 meeting, which was conducted at Azad's residence and included several newcomers, had called for collective and inclusive leadership in the party.

"We believe that the only way to move forward is for the Congress to adopt the model of collective and inclusive leadership and decision making at all levels," the leaders, which included Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma, Manish Tewari, Bhupinder Hooda, and Prithviraj Chavan, said in a statement after the meeting.

The group said that the next steps in this regard would be announced soon.

Gandhis Want to Promote Youngsters for RS Seat: Kerala Congress Prez

Meanwhile, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President K Sudhakaran said that he held discussions with interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi regarding nominations for the Rajya Sabha seat.

"Both want to promote youngsters," he said, adding, "Not only M Liju, we might consider Krishnan Sreenivasan".

"The Kerala Congress unit will decide names of the candidates for the Rajya Sabha seat and will send the list to the AICC leadership. The leadership will take the final call. Names of women leaders will also be considered," Sudhakaran added.

He also commented on the meeting conducted by G-23 leaders on Wednesday, and said that he was pleased that Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor also joined it.

"I welcome (yesterday's) meeting of G-23 and Shashi Tharoor joining it. I can assure you that all problems within the party will be solved very soon. I thanked Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi for initiating such conversation... it will help the party in the long run," he said.

(With inputs from NDTV and ANI.)