Sonia Gandhi calls extended CWC to insulate family from change seekers

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi has called an extended CWC meet on Saturday, taking no chance against change seekers in the Congress Working Committee, even though they are just a handful. She rejected Ghulam Nabi Azad's demand that only full-fledged members be invited to discuss the state of the party and leadership.

The establishment has also prepared a script to evade the demand for an early Congress organisational election and to delay it till next year by citing upcoming assembly polls and the need for a fresh membership-drive before giving a fresh term for the Congress chief and team. The real idea is to avert a discussion on organisational and campaign decisions taken by Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra. The AICC plans to, instead, focus CWC discourse on farmers' issues and against the Modi regime besides drumming up a show of loyalty for Rahul Gandhi's return as leader.

In another development, Punjab PCC chief Navjyot Singh Sidhu met Rahul Gandhi along with AICC in-charge here on Friday, a day after the leadership and Sidhu signalled a compromise formula, after Sidhu offered his resignation a fortnight ago. The leadership was still discussing the way forward on addressing the demands Sidhu raised, and insisting on, before AICC can formally reject his resignation. On his part, Sidhu yesterday said he accepts the leadership of the Gandhis but has not yet withdrawn/amended the issues and demands he had raised.