Amid Congress leadership crisis, Kharge meets Ahmed Patel

New Delhi: Amid a leadership crisis in the Congress, senior leaders Mallikarjuna Kharge and Digvijaya Singh on Thursday met Treasurer Ahmed Patel separately at the party office here.

Senior leaders have been meeting Congress veterans in a bid to persuade party President Rahul Gandhi to take back his offer to step down, which he made on Saturday during a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

Following his meeting with Patel, who is a close aide of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Kharge told IANS: “We want Rahulji to continue as the party President. All the state units and party workers are passing resolution that Rahulji be the party chief and we are hopeful that he will take back his offer to step down as the party chief.”

Kharge lost in the 2019 general elections from the Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka.

Shortly after Kharge met Patel, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, who lost the election from Bhopal against BJP candidate Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, also held a meeting with the Treasurer.

Gandhi’s offer has been unanimously rejected by the CWC members.

Many senior leaders have also met former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the last few days.

On Wednesday, Delhi Congress chief and former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit protested outside Gandhi’s residence demanding that he take back his resignation offer.

Updated on: May 30, 2019 at 15:40 IST | Published on: May 30, 2019 at 15:00 IST

IANS