A ceasefire attempt by the Congress, following its verbal attack on social activist Anna Hazare, came on a day Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi met senior leaders here including Pranab Mukherjee, Ambika Soni and Janardan Dwivedi.
This meeting took place soon after senior leader Motilal Vora hoisted the national flag at the party headquarters at 24, Akbar Road on the occasion of Independence Day. He was deputising for party chief Sonia Gandhi, now recuperating in a U.S. hospital. Dr. Singh, Mr. Gandhi and senior leaders and Ministers were present on the occasion.
Mr. Gandhi, who returned home on Sunday, told journalists that his mother was much better now. He and his sister, Priyanka Vadra, were present in the U.S. when Ms. Gandhi underwent surgery for an undisclosed ailment.
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Dr. Singh, with Mr. Gandhi by his side, held confabulations in the backdrop of the political controversy surrounding the developments over Mr. Hazare's proposed fast.
Mr. Gandhi, who is on the four-member committee constituted by Ms. Gandhi to look after party affairs in her absence, also had talks with many senior leaders and Union Ministers present there.
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Party leaders, however, remained tight-lipped on the meeting or the talks. “I have no knowledge,” Ms. Soni said when she was asked whether senior leaders had any meeting with Mr. Gandhi.
Mr. Dwivedi also declined to answer queries why Mr. Gandhi's meeting with the Prime Minister went on for such a long time. “When senior leaders sit, it gets longer some times,” was his refrain.
After Mr. Gandhi's meeting with the Prime Minister, another meeting took place in the Congress treasurer Motilal Vora's office in which Ms. Soni, Mr. Dwivedi and Ms. Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel participated.