Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal. (File)

Two days after the stormy Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, where members targeted the 23 senior leaders for their letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking organisation overhaul in the party, Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal in yet another cryptic tweet on Wednesday said that when fighting for principles, the opposition is often voluntary and support is often managed.

“When fighting for principles in life, in politics, in law, amongst social activists, on social media platforms, opposition is often voluntary, support is often managed,” Sibal tweeted.

When fighting for principles

In life
In politics
In law
Amongst social activists
On social media platforms

Opposition is often voluntary

Support is often managed

— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) August 26, 2020

The CWC meeting was triggered by a dissent letter written by 23 Congress leaders, including Sibal, to Sonia Gandhi, in which they called for far-reaching reforms within the party, such as having a “full time, active and visible” leadership, devolution of powers to state units and revamping the CWC in line with the party constitution.

However, during the meeting, some of the signatories said that the party should have focused on the content of the letter instead. They also said that their loyalty to Sonia was unquestionable.

On Tuesday, Sibal tweeted: “It’s not about a post. It’s about my country which matters most.” He did not elaborate any further.

After the seven-hour meeting, the CWC urged as its interim chief till an AICC session can be convened. It is learned that the party has decided to set up a committee to assist Sonia to look into “all issues,” including those raised by the 23 leaders. The CWC on Monday acknowledged the letter, but neither discussed its content nor gave any specific commitments on the way forward.

“When the AICC session takes place, there will be an election for the post of Congress president. Anyone can fight in that. Ours is the most democratic and transparent party,” AICC treasurer Ahmed Patel told The Indian Express.

Meanwhile, coming out in support of the letter, senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar told The Indian Express that he has sent a message to the high command endorsing the “constructive suggestions” made in it.

“I have endorsed the letter. Because I thought that those were constructive suggestions. I didn’t find anything anti-Sonia Gandhi or anti-Rahul Gandhi. So, I endorsed it. I had not seen the letter. Nobody approached me for my signature… I decided to take my own initiative and I have informed the high command that I endorse these suggestions,” Aiyar said.

M Veerappa Moily, one of the signatories, told The Indian Express that his loyalty still lies with Sonia, but argued that “if there is a party, then there is a leader. If the party itself is collapsing everywhere, the leadership will not be strengthened.”

The signatories to the letter included Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad; party MPs and former Union Ministers Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Shashi Tharoor; MP Vivek Tankha; AICC office bearers and CWC members including Mukul Wasnik and Jitin Prasada and former Chief Ministers and Union Ministers including Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Rajender Kaur Bhattal, M Veerappa Moily, Prithviraj Chavan, P J Kurian, Ajay Singh, Renuka Chaudhary, and Milind Deora; former PCC chiefs Raj Babbar (UP), Arvinder Singh Lovely (Delhi) and Kaul Singh Thakur (Himachal); current Bihar campaign chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh, former Haryana Speaker Kuldeep Sharma; former Delhi Speaker Yoganand Shastri and former MP Sandeep Dixit.