The Congress decided that Rahul Gandhi will be its prime ministerial face for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with the extended Congress Working Committee authorising him to forge alliances with "like-minded" political parties to take on the ruling BJP.
At the first meeting of the recently constituted CWC (Congress Working Committee), Rahul Gandhi noted that expanding Congress vote base is the biggest task for the party ahead of 2019 elections.
- The CWC meeting was attended by 23 permanent members and 10 special invitees
- Rahul Gandhi called the new CWC, “a bridge between past, present and future”
- Janardan Dwivedi and Digvijay Singh were also invited for CWC meeting but they skipped the event
- The BJP calls it a ‘Darbari meeting’
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It Was a 'Darbari' Meeting: BJP
The BJP took a dig at the Congress, saying the CWC meet presided by Rahul Gandhi was rather a "Congress non-working committee" meeting headed by the party's "non-performing" chief.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said that the CWC meeting was more of a "Congress darbari meeting" and it was aimed at promoting the interests of a single family.
"Today, the CWC, rather Congress non-working committee, met under non-performing president Rahul Gandhi. After losing the no-confidence motion badly on the floor of Parliament, this was a meeting chaired by Rahul Gandhi, which was previously being chaired by Sonia Gandhi for 20 long years," he said.
Elections Will be Won on Opposition Unity: Rahul Gandhi
At the CWC meeting earlier on Sunday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said, “Institutions affiliated to the RSS are being created with the money from government of India. Whenever RSS and BJP come to power, they siphon money from their respective government and build their institutions.”
He added that Congress can come together with other parties and win the coming elections. “After that, the damage done by the BJP & RSS to India's institutions will have to be undone. Only the Congress can do this”
MoreThe electoral math is clear, elections will be won on opposition unity.Rahul Gandhi, Congress
10 Key issues Raised During The Five Hour CWC Meet
- Challenges facing the agricultural sector
- Unemployment crisis
- Issues plaguing the Indian economy
- Ill-treatment of Dalits and Tribals
- Lip service on OBCs, MBCs
- Women empowerment
- The failure of Modi's 56-inch foreign policy
- Restoration of constitutional institutions
- Special status for Andhra Pradesh
- Challenges in Jammu & Kashmir and the North East
Young and Veteran Leaders to Work in Harmony: Rajiv Satav
Congress leader Rajiv Satav told The Quint that the biggest takeaway of the CWC meeting was that young Congress leaders and party veterans will work in harmony to ensure good results.