On Tuesday, the Congress Working Committee meeting was held at party chief Sonia Gandhi's residence where the highest decision-making body of the party met. It was attended by party vice- president Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Top Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, P Chidambaram, Ambika Soni, Janardan Dwiwedi and other CWC members were also present during the meeting.
Taking a dig at the BJP-led goverment's demonetisation policy, former PM Manmohan Singh said that India's economic growth has slowed down sharply due to the note ban. He added that private sector investment has collapsed and the economy is running on just one engine of public spending.
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Congress chief Sonia Gandhi also criticised the government's policy and said that it is "seeking to extinguish" the essence of India. She said that the nation is on a downward spiral that's reflecting not just in terms of economy, but of peace and diversity.
Attacking the government on Kashmir issue the Congress chief said ,"There was relative calm earlier in Kashmir but now there is growing confrontation, tension and fear."
She said,"We must be ready to protect the essence and idea of India which this government is seeking to extinguish, There was relative calm earlier in Kashmir but now there is growing confrontation, tension and fear."
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"Where there was harmony, there is now discord. Where there was tolerance, there is provocation. Where there was economic potential, there is stagnation.
"There is a brazen campaign to strait jacket the whole country into regressive and narrow-minded world view during three years of NDA govt. The crisis in J-K has come to represent the colossal," she added.
The closed-door meeting is being seen as a strategy to unite opposition parties ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
t wants a broad coalition of opposition parties in place ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to take on the BJP. The BJP and its allies have gained in strength since the Modi government was formed in May 2014.
The CWC members had in November unanimously expressed "strong sentiment" for Rahul's elevation for the first time and may take it further.
At the November-7 meeting, all members, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior leader A K Antony, had made a strong pitch for Rahul to take over the reins of the party.
The Congress president has created a record by being at the helm of the 130-year-old organisation for nearly two decades since late Sitaram Kesri's ouster by the CWC in early 1998.
Rahul was appointed party vice president in January 2013 at the Congress's brainstorming session in Jaipur.
(With PTI inputs)
