Sonia, Rahul arrive in Raipur for Congress plenary

Raipur, Feb 24 Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on Friday arrived in Raipur to attend the party's plenary session.

Both leaders skipped the steering committee meeting which decided not to hold the Congress Working Committee (CWC) elections and announced to amend the party's constitution to give life-long membership to former presidents and prime ministers in the CWC.

Congress will amend 16 articles and 32 rules in the party's constitution, and one of them is on appointing a former Congress President and a former Prime Minister as the Congress working committee members.

The proposal, if passed, will enable Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to become the CWC members, and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will also be included in the party's top decision making body.

In the steering committee held this morning here, party president Mallikarjun Kharge was empowered to constitute the new CWC.

Sources said Ajay Maken and Digvijaya Singh were in the favour of CWC elections, adding that there were arguments and counter-arguments on the subject.

Jairam Ramesh, party General Secretary, said, "The decision to authorise the Congress president to constitute the new CWC was unanimous."