The group of 23 letter writers (G-23), who had written to party chief Sonia Gandhi last August asking for reforms, were not dissenters but protectors of the Congress legacy, senior Congress leader and a key member of G-23, Kapil Sibal, said on Sunday.

In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Sibal spoke about their public meeting at Jammu on February 27 and asserted that the leaders spoke about “strengthening the Congress” at the Jammu meet.

Also read: ‘G-23’ fire a fresh shot at Congress

He claimed there may have been 23 signatories to their letter, submitted in August 2020, but “many more people within the party” support their views.

Asked about prominent G-23 members being left out from the list of star campaigners for the upcoming Bengal and Assam Assembly polls, Mr. Sibal said they were “workers who would play a positive and constructive role even if they are not assigned any role”.

‘We are not dissenters but protectors of Congress’

Edited excerpts:

Do you think it was right to have a show strength in Jammu when the Congress party is in the middle of Assembly elections?

Well, I think that this nomenclature of G-23 is something that has been coined by the press. There were only 23 signatories to that letter but the number of people supportive of our views are many, many more. We are not dissenters, we are protectors of the Congress legacy. We are not anti anybody, we are pro Congress. We believe that the Congress needs to be strengthened. And this exactly what we said in Jammu, that we must all strengthen the Congress party together. Because that is the only national alternative that can stem the rot that has set in at the instance of this government. The great legacy of this country, which is reflected in the Constitution of India, is being destroyed. The government is dismantling all Constitutional structures. In fact, in my speech at Jammu [on February 27], I attacked the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), saying that the assets of this country are in the hands of just a few people. We are not dissenters, we are protectors of the Congress party and that is what we displayed in Jammu in the course of our speeches.

Also read: An old ideology for new times: on Congress’s leadership crisis

Some of your colleagues said that statements by a few G-23 leaders only help the BJP. They also argue that the call for reforms is driven by personal considerations like, say, a Rajya Sabha seat or the role of the Leader of the Opposition.

My term [in the Rajya Sabha] expires in 2022. So does Anand’s [Anand Sharma] term. Shashi [Tharoor] and Manish [Tewari] are Lok Sabha members. So their terms are until 2024. Many of the others are not members, either of the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha. Where is the question of us being guided by personal desire because of Rajya Sabha seat. It is absurd because these issues were raised by us since 2019 and they have nothing to do with any dissent.

Has G-23 now been reduced to G-8 because that’s the number of people we saw in Jammu?

Quite frankly, I think every Congress person desires that the party should be strengthened. That’s what the so called G-23 stood for. Where is the question of a G-23 or G-7 or a G-8? There is no such question as we are all part of the Congress party, except that some of us have reflected our concerns. I am sure that in times to come, all this will certainly be taken into account. I can assure you that there are many, many more who agree with us on these issues.

It’s been a little over six months since that letter, asking for reforms, was given to Ms. Gandhi. There was a follow-up meeting as well in December. Have things changed in these six months?

Well, the good thing that happened was that there was a decision that there will be an election to the office of the president and the Working Committee. And tentatively that date has been fixed in June. So we are happy that, at least, some forward movement is taking place but we need much more of interaction with the party leadership. Everybody is busy strengthening the party and hoping for a pleasant outcome for the Congress party in these elections, and therefore, there is not much dialogue taking place at this point. And rightly so. I am sure when the elections are over, this whole process will gain its own momentum.

The Congress’ list of star campaigners came out for Bengal and Assam but leaves out prominent names among the G-23.

We are not stars, we are Congress workers. And the worker will do whatever he can do to ensure that the Congress party wins. Even if not assigned to us, we will play a positive, constructive role to ensure that the Congress gains in these States to the extent it can.

Do you think it’s a reflection of the leadership’s mood because the Jammu meet didn’t go down well?

I don’t want to attribute any motives to anybody. I think that the party has the discretion to decide who are stars and which are the stars who shine and which are the one who have lost their lustre.

Will G-23 decide its future move depending on how the Congress fares in these elections?

We are not antithetical to what the party stands for. So there’s no question of a future strategy. All that we say is that the State that we are in today, we should work hard and embrace what the Congress stands for. Bring all the Opposition parties on one platform. Since the Congress Party is the only national party that can oppose the BJP, it should be at the centre of that platform, which is inclusive of all other Opposition leaders to fight the Modi government.

But the question is, who is going to lead Congress? Ms. Gandhi is functioning as an interim chief for almost two years now and Rahul Gandhi doesn’t seem to be keen to take over the reins again. What’s your take?

My take is very simple: there can be no party without a leader. When you go into an election [party elections], a leader within the Congress party will emerge.

Will the G-23 put up a candidate from among the letter writers?

Who am I to decide on these issues? Whoever the candidate is, at that point, Congressmen will decide whether or not to contest the election. It depends on who is standing.

So, you will not field a candidate if Mr. Gandhi contests?

I didn’t say any of that. Whether Mr. Gandhi stands or he doesn’t stand, that is not the issue. Anybody under the Congress constitution is entitled to stand.

How are you looking at these Assembly elections?

Unfortunately, in some of the States, we have not had a presence for many, many years. So, you can’t expect a tsunami in favour of the Congress Party. But with the alliances that we have, we hope to gain. All Congressmen must try their level best to win as many seats as possible for the party. In Kerala, we hope to win; in Assam, there is sufficient discontent with the Sonowal government. So that’s where we are. These are the big States where we can hope to form government on our own.