Letter was written with best interest of party 'in our hearts': Anand Sharma

The aim is to balance the narrative in the country and to counter the BJP's divisive agenda and fight them," Sharma told PTI, a day after the Congress Working Committee urged Sonia Gandhi to continue as interim party chief and effect organisational changes. Sharma, a member of the CWC, is one of the signatories to the letter written to Gandhi, seeking sweeping organisational changes and bringing in an active and full-time party chief.

Congress leader Anand Sharma Tuesday said the letter to party President Sonia Gandhi seeking urgent organisational overhaul was written in the best interest of the nation and the party. He said the intention of the 23 leaders who wrote the letter was to strengthen the Congress and counter the BJP. "Our intention is to strengthen the party. The aim is to balance the narrative in the country and to counter the BJP's divisive agenda and fight them," Sharma told PTI, a day after the Congress Working Committee urged Sonia Gandhi to continue as interim party chief and effect organisational changes.

Sharma, a member of the CWC, is one of the signatories to the letter written to Gandhi, seeking sweeping organisational changes and bringing in an active and full-time party chief. He also said their intention was to convey their "shared concerns" over the present environment in the county.

Responding to a tweet by Congress MP Vivek Tankha, another signatory, in which he had said the letter was not a challenge to the leadership but a parchment of action to strengthen the party, Sharma posted, "Well said". "The letter was written with the best interest of the party in our hearts and conveying shared concerns over the present environment in the country and sustained assault on the foundational values of the constitution," Sharma said in the tweet.

Having a "full time, active and visible" leadership, devolution of powers to state units and revamping the CWC in line with the party constitution were some of the key suggestions made by the 23 senior Congress leaders in their letter. Sharma is among several signatories who Tuesday asserted they were "not dissenters", but "proponents of revival" of the Congress party, a day after a stormy Congress Working Committee meeting, where the members of the 'group of 23' were dissed by many for voicing their concerns. Sharma also hit out against those who attacked him, saying "it was sad to see those who betrayed Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi, and abused her, are today giving sermons". The senior Congress leader, who is also deputy leader of the Congress in Rajya Sabha, said a meeting of some of his party colleagues at Ghulam Nabi Azad's house here after the CWC deliberations was to inform all those who were part of the letter about what transpired at the CWC. Sharma said the group would also reach out to other signatories of the letter who were outside of Delhi and would inform them about the developments. Among those who met at Ghulam Nabi Azad's house Monday night included senior leaders including Kapil Sibal, Shashi Tharoor, Mukul Wasnik and Manish Tewari.