The biggest takeaway from Saturday’s events was the sight of the entire pantheon of Congress leadership putting up a show of unity as the Gandhis made their way to the magistrate’s court in the National Herald case. Though it rolled back its plans of having a big showdown across the country, it was still loud at the AICC headquarters, not just in its form but also in the subtext.
As party leader C.P. Joshi told The Hindu, more than winning the war of public perception in the National Herald controversy, the Congress had managed to mobilise its party apparatus without spending any money. “Otherwise, it is very difficult to arrange such a big event,” he said.
The day began with several Congress leaders arriving at the AICC headquarters to field questions from the media. Congress president Sonia Gandhi left 10, Janpath, her residence, around noon for the residence of senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, where her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had already arrived. Around 2.30 p.m. Ms.Gandhi and her son, Rahul, arrived at the Patiala court premises followed by her daughter Priyanka and several senior Congress leaders.
Message to MPsBack at the AICC headquarters, the anti-BJP sloganeering intensified as the hearing got over at the court. The Gandhis arrived at the AICC compound around 3.20 pm. The duo quickly addressed a large gathering of MPs inside the building. Speaking to The Hindu, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh said that Ms.Gandhi had thanked her party MPs, saying that they should fuel their “aggression” against the ruling BJP.
After the meeting, she headed out in the main AICC compound to address the media. Ms.Gandhi walked toward the podium followed by several top-rung Congress leaders. P.Chidambaram, A.K.Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Ambika Soni, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Salman Khurshid, all stood behind Ms.Gandhi.
