Take Action, We'll Be With Congress, Say Dissent Letter Writers | Read

Sonia Gandhi today said she "wants to be relieved" of the post of interim Congress president and urged her colleagues to start looking for a replacement as the party's top decision-making body met a day after an explosive letter written by 23 top leaders calling for sweeping reforms and "a full-time, visible leadership" emerged. Sonia Gandhi's announcement unpacked an effusive show of support for the Gandhis' leadership and sharp criticism of the letter writers, mainly by Rahul Gandhi. One of the signatories to the letter, Ghulam Nabi Azad, offered to resign as he faced criticism from several Congress leaders. On a call for disciplinary action, the "dissenters" said they were "ready to face punishment immediately" and remained loyal to the Congress.