Amid efforts at Opposition unity, Congress chief seen as asserting leadershipUnfurling the national flag at the Congress headquarters on Sunday to mark the 75th Independence Day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi sought to subtly assert her leadership in the presence of ‘detractors’. Other senior leaders who attended the celebrations included former party chief Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former Defence Minister A.K. While Mr. Antony had unfurled the Tricolour last year during the first phase of the corona pandemic, Ms. Gandhi doing the honours this year carries a distinct, assertive political message. Next week, on August 20, Ms. Gandhi will also be hosting a virtual meet of top Opposition leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Mahahastra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. “This project [Opposition unity] is doomed to will fail if the Congress doesn’t revitalise itself,” Mr Sibal had said in an interview to journalist Karan Thapar last Friday.

Source: The Hindu August 15, 2021 12:30 UTC