Buoyed by party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s newly assertive mode after his 56-day sabbatical, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called party MPs and AICC office-bearers for dinner on May 6 at her official residence. This invite assumes significance in the light of the Government planning to bring the contentious land Acquisition Bill in Parliament.
AICC sources said the dinner has been planned to provide an opportunity to her, as well as Rahul, to interact with senior party colleagues and legislators on the political situation, especially key issues like the land Bill.
“The Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting was long-awaited and this dinner could be the first occasion for a large-scale interaction of party MPs with Rahul Gandhi, who had come back on April 15 from his nearly two-month-long break from politics,” the sources said.
A senior party functionary said the get-together is also an attempt by the leadership to allay apprehensions and scotch speculations that the party has two camps owing allegiance to Rahul and Sonia. “This will bridge the gap. There were lot of attempts to break the party and increase dissidence within,” he said.
Sources, however, said the lok Sabha MPs would also meet the Congress president separately on May 5 when Parliament resumes after a four-day break as it will be the week when the Modi Government is expected to bring in the controversial land Bill. The Congress has 44 MPs in the lok Sabha and 68 in the Rajya Sabha.
The party, led by Rahul, has recently taken an aggressive posture on farmers’ issues especially the land Bill and has been trying to paint the Government as “anti-farmer”. The Congress president, who is also the Chairperson of the CPP, usually hosts a dinner for MPs twice in a year — during the Budget Session and Winter Session.