Our Correspondent / NEW DELHI
Congress Working Committee, CWC today announced poll schedule for the election of party president. At the CWC meeting held at party president Sonia Gandhi’s residence here it was decided that notification of the party’s internal poll will be issued on Dec 1st, voting will be held on December 16 and counting on 19 December.
In her opening remarks at the CWC meeting, Congress President Sonia Gandhi took on the Centre and alleged that it is sabotaging the Winter Session of Parliament on flimsy grounds. She said, the government cannot escape constitutional accountability ahead of Gujarat assembly elections by what she called locking the temple of democracy.
Giving takeaways from Mrs Gandhi’s address, party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said Parliament is the forum where questions should be asked about corruption in high places, conflict of interest of serving ministers and dubious defence deals. He said Mrs Gandhi told CWC that the government has taken the extraordinary step of not holding the Winter Session to avoid the questions ahead of Gujarat elections.
Mrs. Gandhi alleged that the Prime Minister can have a midnight celebration in Parliament to launch what she called ill-prepared and flawed GST but lacks the courage to face Parliament. She also accused the Central government of trying to change the history of modern India by erasing the contributions of Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and P Chidambaram among others attended the meeting.
Sources in the party said, Rahul Gandhi is likely to be the only candidate in the fray.
The Election Commission has set a deadline of December 31 for the party to complete its organisational elections, after giving it an extension.