Senior Congress leaders such as Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma on Saturday, 27 February, attended the 'Shanti Sammelan' in Jammu.
Most of the leaders in Jammu at the moment are senior members of Congress who have been seen as dissenters on various occasions for having spoken up against the party’s decisions and functioning.
They have also been referred to as G-23, as group of 23 dissenting leaders.
“People say 'G23', I say Gandhi 23. With the belief, resolve and thinking of Mahatma Gandhi, this nation's law and Constitution was formed. Congress is standing strongly to take these forward. 'G23' want Congress to be strong,” party leader Raj Babbar said, according to ANI.
See Congress Becoming Weak, Say Leaders
“The truth is that we see Congress party becoming weak. That is why we have gathered here. We had gathered together earlier too and we have to strengthen the party together,” senior party leader Kapil Sibal said.
Speaking in Jammu on Saturday, the party’s veteran leader Azad, who recently retired from his seat in the Rajya Sabha, where he was the Leader of Opposition, said, that the strength of Congress is that it ‘equally respects’ all religions, people and castes.
His remark came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'North-South' comment at a rally in Thiruvananthapuram caused a controversy earlier this week.
He further said that the other party leaders with him in Jammu had not spoken up less than him.
“In the last 5-6 years, all these friends did not speak any less than me in the Parliament over J&K, its unemployment, stripping off of statehood, finishing off industries and education or the implementation of GST,” he said, according to ANI.
Sibal also hailed Azad’s role in the party, saying that he was an experienced leader.
“He is one such leader who knows ground reality of Congress in every district of every state. We were saddened when we realised that he is being freed from Parliament. We didn’t want him to go from Parliament. I can’t understand why is Congress not using his experience”.Kapil Sibal
Senior party leader Anand Sharma also referred to the fact that Azad’s retirement from the Upper House meant that there is no representative of Jammu & Kashmir in the Rajya Sabha.
“This will be corrected,” he said, adding that this was a first since 1950, according to ANI.
“Congress has weakened in the last decade. Our voice is for the betterment of the party. It should be strengthened everywhere once again. The new generation should connect (to the party),” Sharma said.
He added that they would build the party and strengthen it again.
“We believe in the strength and unity of Congress,” Sharma said on Saturday.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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