What's common to G-23 dissidents? Their Youth Congress connect

New Delhi, March 27 There is a common factor among the G-23 leaders who are spearheading a campaign for reforms and accountability in the Congress party and three leaders who are said to be consistent in their push are Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Manish Tewari. One thing all three have in common is that they have been Youth Congress presidents in the past, which was once a very robust organization.

Ghulam Nabi Azad started his career as a block level worker and became the Youth Congress president, which was a coveted post at the time when Indira Gandhi was at the helm. Anand Sharma was a founding member of the NSUI, the student wing of the Congress, and later became the Youth Congress president. Manish Tewari too was in the NSUI and then became the Youth Congress chief. All of them have been Union Ministers and Azad was also the Chief Minister of J&K.

Another leader who was a signatory to the G-23 letter, Mukul Wasnik was also a Youth Congress president but has kept a distance from the group for a long time. Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda too was an office bearer of the Youth Congress.

Analysts say the rivalry within the Congress is Youth Congress vs Youth Congress as loyalist like Ajay Maken, Randeep Singh Surjewala and KC Venugopal too have been in the Youth Congress and the NSUI.

The G-23 which is pushing for reforms is finally in talks with the Gandhis and several meetings have taken place between them but no agreement has been reached so far. The meetings are continuing and Sonia Gandhi is leading the deliberations.

The Congress President after meeting the leaders of the G-23 group has sought reports from the general secretaries and the state in-charges about the political situation in the states.

Sonia Gandhi, ahead of the 'Chintan Shivir' (brainstorming camp) proposed next month, wants these reports handy to put forth a plan for the revival of the party as she has to actively involve herself in the party's functioning following its dismal performance in the recent Assembly elections.

Though the G-23 has not opened up about the two rounds of meetings with the Congress President, first with its senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and the second with Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma and Vivek Tankha, sources say that the group is pushing for revival of the parliamentary board and collective decision-making body, rather than giving sweeping powers to certain individuals who have been losing election after election.

Reaching out to the dissidents through her meetings with the G-23 leaders to discuss the proposals mooted by them, Gandhi is putting in her best efforts for a united face of the party. She has also been successful in persuading the group not to press on with the leadership issue.

Azad, who had met the party chief on March 18, had said that there was no vacancy currently for the post of President, nobody asked her to quit, and all want her to continue.

The group has also distanced himself from the views of senior party leader and G-23 member Kapil Sibal on a leadership change.