After the Congress party witnessed humiliating defeat in the recently-concluded Assembly elections in five states, the G23 leaders reiterated their demand for leadership reforms at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting held on Sunday.
G23 leader Ghulam Nabi Azad at the meeting said, "I am shocked and my heart breaks seeing our defeat from state to state. I have given my entire youth and life to the party and I am sure the leadership of the party will take note of all the weaknesses and shortcomings that my colleagues and I were talking about for a long time."
"Earlier also there used to be a difference of opinions in the party but talks did not go out of the rooms but now things have changed," said Azad.
Taking note of the party's defeat in Punjab, he said that the party was late in making a decision on replacing Captain Amarinder Singh as the chief minister.
Meanwhile, G23 leader Anand Sharma backed Azad and reiterated the demand for a leadership change in the party.
Another G23 leader Shashi Tharoor reiterated his call for leadership reforms in the Congress party and said, "It is time to reaffirm the idea of India that the Congress has stood for and the positive agenda it offers the nation and to reform our organizational leadership in a manner that will reignite those ideas and inspire the people. One thing is clear - Change is unavoidable if we need to succeed."
Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi said in the meeting that "if the CWC members feel that the party is being weakened because of the Gandhi family, they are ready to make all kinds of sacrifices".
( With inputs from ANI )
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