NEW DELHI: The Congress' top brass on Friday met under the chairmanship of Sonia Gandhi to deliberate on issues related to the interests of India's farmers, shopkeepers and the industry which the party claimed were being "bartered away and sold openly" by the BJP government.
A 17-member group of leaders, set up by Sonia Gandhi which includes former prime minister Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi besides other top leaders, met at her 10 Janpath residence to hold discussions on key issues facing the country.
The meeting holds significance as it comes a day after the results of the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra were declared.
"Today detailed discussions took place under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi along with various leaders of the party.
"The discussions centred around the way the interest of India's farmers, India's shop keepers, India's industry are being bartered away and sold openly by the BJP government," Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.
The group also includes Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, A K Antony, Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma, Jairam Ramesh, Ambika Soni, Kapil Sibal, K C Venugopal and Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary.
However, AICC general secretary for East Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is not in the key group, the sources said.
Some of the young leaders who are also part of the key group are Randeep Singh Surjewala, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Rajeev Satav and Sushmita Dev.