G-23 row: Things coming back on track in Congress?

After some recent events that turned against the party, including the Congress' G-23 Group asking for a revamp in the party, Congress leader and MP Manish Tiwari has been included in the star campaigners list of Congress for Assam and West Bengal Assembly polls.

Earlier, prominent leaders from the G-23 Group, Gulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Kapil Sibal and Manish Tewari were not included in the star campaigners list, despite the fact that they were asked to campaign for the party in the poll-bound states.

Though he took part in the rally in Jammu, the party has included Manish Tiwari in the star campaigners' list for Assam and West Bengal sent to the Election Commission of India.

Speaking about it, Tewari told ANI, "I thank Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the party's leadership for including me in the list of campaigners for West Bengal and Assam.

"I will endeavour to continue doing my duty to strengthen the party as I have been since 1981 when I joined the party as an NSUI grassroots worker."

Replying to a question on Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi's remarks that 'Congress party is not the Gandhi family but an idea on which India was built', Tewari said, "I haven't heard Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's statement so I don't know in which context she has said this. But she is right in the way that Congress stands for certain values.

"It stands for progress, patriotism, pluralism and it defines the ideological ethos of the Congress."

"As far as the Gandhi family is concerned, it has played a seminal role in the struggle for Independence and post that, in building Modern India so, they have their special place not only in Congress pantheon but also in the history of this nation," he added.

Prior to that, the Deputy Leader in the Rajya Sabha, Anand Sharma had said, "There are no two groups in the Congress. It is one Indian National Congress.

"The president is Sonia Gandhi and right now the only objective before the Congress Party is to fight these elections together to defeat the BJP and other opponents.

"But, let there be no wrong impression that the Congress Party will not fight these battles together."

Another Leader from G-23 Group, Akhilesh Prasad Singh was included in the star campaigners list of West Bengal too,

The change of voices from the leader can be a moment of relief for the party in getting into the headlines for internal conflicts, while Congress insiders feel that these steps can turn into a positive gesture if continued in the future course of action.

A total of 824 assembly constituencies shall be going to polls in four states -- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam-- and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

The polling will start on March 27 and end on April 29.

The counting of votes for elections to four states and one UT will be held on May 2.

As many as 18.68 crore electors are eligible to cast vote at 2.7 lakh polling stations in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.