Sonia Gandhi flies abroad for routine medical check-up, likely to miss most of Parliament's Monsoon Session

New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday (September 12, 2020) left abroad for her routine follow up medical check-up and is likely to miss the most part of Parliament's Monsoon Session that's scheduled to begin from September 14.

Son Rahul Gandhi is accompanying his 73-year old mother for the check-up that was deferred due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

Randeep Singh Surjewala who was inducted in the high-power six-member panel that advises the Congress president informed about the news on Twitter.

He wrote, "Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi is travelling today onwards for a routine follow up & medical check-up, which was deferred due to the pandemic. She is accompanied by Sh. Rahul Gandhi. We take this opportunity to thank everyone for their concern & good wishes."

Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi is travelling today onwards for a routine follow up & medical check up, which was deferred due to the pandemic.

She is accompanied by Sh. Rahul Gandhi.

We take this opportunity to thank everyone for their concern & good wishes.

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) September 12, 2020

As per sources, Sonia is likely to return after a couple of weeks.

In the Monsoon Session that was halted due to COVID-19, the Congress in Rahul's and Sonia's absence will look at hitting at the Modi Government on issues like the drastic GDP reduction, the unemployment rate, loss of jobs and Centre's way of handling the coronavirus pandemic. 

Earlier in the day, party's former Chief Rahul Gandhi continuing his attack at the central government said that the Modi Govt’s ‘well-planned fight’ against COVID has put India in an abyss of - Historic GDP reduction of 24%, 12 crore jobs lost, 15.5 lac crores additional stressed loans and globally highest daily COVID-19 cases and deaths, but for GOI and media ‘sab changa si’.

Modi Govt’s ‘well-planned fight’ against Covid has put India in an abyss of:

1. Historic GDP reduction of 24%
2. 12 crore jobs lost
3. 15.5 lac crores additional stressed loans
4. Globally highest daily Covid cases & deaths.

But for GOI & media ‘sab changa si’. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 12, 2020

Meanwhile, in a major organisational reshuffle on Friday, the Congress reconstituted the party`s working committee and dropped senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni as general secretaries. However, Azad and Soni will now continue in the reconstituted working committee. 

AICC General Secretaries as appointed by Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi. pic.twitter.com/MyLVgg6ukU — Congress (@INCIndia) September 11, 2020

Notably, Azad was among 23 leaders who had written a letter to party chief Sonia calling for a complete overhaul of the organisation, a full-time president and elections to Congress Working Committee.

P Chidambaram, Jitendra Singh, Tariq Anwar and Randeep Surjewala have been made regular CWC members in organisational rejig by Sonia Gandhi. KC Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik and Randeep Surjewala also in special committee to assist Gandhi in organisational matters.

Pawan Kumar Bansal will be the secretary in charge administration, Harish Rawat to be general secretary in-charge Punjab, Tariq Anwar to be in-charge for Kerala and Lakshadweep, Jitendra Singh in-charge Assam, and Oommen Chandy will be in-charge for Andhra Pradesh.

Congress President Smt. Sonia Gandhi has reconstituted the Congress Working Committee as follows: pic.twitter.com/Fti9oYxJUr — Congress (@INCIndia) September 11, 2020

The new members of the Congress Working Committee will be--Digvijay Singh, Manickam Tagore, Rajiv Shukla, Jairam Ramesh, Salman Khurshid, HK Patil, Pramod Tiwari, Dinesh Gundurao, Pawan Bansal, Kuljit Nagra and Manish Chatrath.