Sonia Gandhi to be Congress president for one more year

The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Monday approved the extension of Sonia Gandhi's tenure as party president for a year. She did not attend the meeting, reportedly because she is unwell.

It was, therefore, a rare occasion when party vice president Rahul Gandhi presided over the CWC meeting. It started at 11 a.m.

In his opening address, Mr Gandhi lashed out at the Modi government for being "obsessed with power" and for ''seeking to silence all those who disagree".

Democracy under the present dispensation was going through one of its darkest hours. Even TV channels were being punished, he said, referring to a one-day ban on NDTV India.

“The Opposition is being arrested for holding the government to account. All attempts by this government to suppress our fundamental freedoms by abusing State power will only strengthen our resolve to defeat such dangerous designs,” he asserted and called for “exposing” the government in the coming Parliament session.

“Asking questions is what discomforts this government the most, for they have no answers,” he said.

Atrocities against Dalits go unabated and rights of tribals continue to be trampled upon, he alleged.

Senior leaders Manmohan Singh, P. Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Janardan Dwivedi, Ahmed Patel, Ambika Soni and A.K. Antony were among those who attended the meet.