Sonia Gandhi to undergo surgery in US, Rahul steps in

Congress President Sonia Gandhi will undergo a surgery in the United States for an undisclosed medical condition even as she constituted a four-member group comprising Rahul Gandhi to oversee its functioning in her absence that is likely to be for nearly a month.

Making a brief announcement, Congress General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi, told reporters in Parliament House that the 64-year-old leader was recently diagnosed with a medical condition and was advised surgery.

"Smt Sonia Gandhi has been recently diagnosed with a medial condition that requires surgery. On the advice of doctors, she has travelled abroad and she is likely to be away for two to three weeks," he said.

Gandhi, accompanied by her son Rahul, had left earlier this week to an undisclosed destination in the US. Congress party was silent over when she left and where she was undergoing treatment.

Dwivedi had earlier said that Gandhi had undergone a successful surgery but clarified later that the operation would be carried out in a day or two.

He said Gandhi has decided that in her absence a group comprising Rahul Gandhi and senior leaders A K Antony, Ahmed Patel and Dwivedi will look after party affairs.

It is significant that Rahul will form part of the committee that has only one senior minister of the government and two leaders from the organisation.

Asked to explain the absence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee from the group, Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari said: "They (the Prime Minister and Finance Minister) are senior members who have

been active in the organisation for long."

To a question about her health condition and the kind of surgery, she has to undergo, Tiwari declined to go into details.

"Even public personalities are entitled to certain amount of privacy in so far as their medical condition is concerned. Our friends in media should bear that sensitivity in mind," he said.

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