Sonia Gandhi heads abroad for health check-up
Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son and party leader Rahul Gandhi will reportedly not attend the first part of the Parliament session, which starts on Monday. The two leaders left Delhi on Saturday for Mrs. Gandhi's annual check-up abroad, sources told NDTV. The Congress President will reportedly return to India after at least two weeks. Here are more details.
Rahul to return in few days, says report
According to NDTV, Mrs. Gandhi has left for her annual check-up abroad with her son Rahul accompanying her. While she will reportedly remain abroad for at least two weeks, Rahul is expected to return after a few days, when his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will join them. Mrs. Gandhi had undergone surgery in the United States in 2011.
Parliament reconvenes on Monday for monsoon session
Notably, the Parliament will reconvene for the monsoon session on September 14 (Monday). Sources told NDTV that, ahead of her departure, Mrs. Gandhi held a meeting with her parliamentary strategy group and had given clear directives for better coordination in both Houses of the Parliament. Reportedly, the party is likely to raise issues of India's economic slowdown and the handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Yesterday, Mrs. Gandhi reshuffled party's ranks
Earlier on Friday, Mrs. Gandhi had reshuffled the Congress's ranks in a major party rejig. Veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was removed as the General Secretary of AICC. Those who lost key posts included leaders who had questioned the party leadership in a letter to Mrs. Gandhi last month. The letter—signed by 23 senior leaders including Azad—called for "full time and effective leadership."
Here are key changes in the party's ranks
Apart from Azad, Motilal Vora, Ambika Soni, and Mallikarjun Kharge were also removed as General Secretaries of the AICC. P Chidambaram, Tariq Anwar, Randeep Surjewala, and Jitendra Singh were named regular members of the Congress Working Committee. Surjewala—a Rahul Gandhi loyalist—has been named the General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka while Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been named Uttar Pradesh's General Secretary in-charge.
