NEW DELHI: Joining the debate on the issue of leadership crisis, Congress MP and spokesman Manish Tewari said Sonia Gandhi should continue as the party president for “foreseeable future”, calling it the overwhelming opinion of the Congress rank and file.At the same time, senior member Anil Shastri demanded that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should be appointed the Congress president as he rejected the possibility of a non-Gandhi leading the party. He was reacting to calls for election for the post of Congress chief as demanded by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.Amid views that it was time for Congress to move beyond Sonia Gandhi who became an interim chief after Rahul Gandhi ’s resignation last May, Tewari said, “Overwhelming consensus in Congress is that we need Sonia as president for foreseeable future. It is the view of leaders across the parliamentary group as well as of those in other positions in the organisation and those whom I have known since my days in the NSUI four decades ago.”Tewari added that Congress should stick to Sonia Gandhi till the party sorts out its ideological conundrum which requires immediate attention. He stressed that the party should hold a “Panchmarhi type” brainstorming conclave.“The hunt for new president can take months or even a year or two,” he said.The comments from the Lok Sabha MP from Punjab add to the growing voices in the party over the leadership issue which started after Rahul Gandhi resigned as president following the Lok Sabha defeat in May 2019. The Congress Working Committee appointed Sonia Gandhi as “interim president” in August.Tewari noted that Rahul Gandhi was emphatic in his resignation and even turned down pleas from party leaders to take back his decision.In contrast, Anil Shastri appeared to weigh against the call for election to the top organisational post. “There’s no question of a non-Gandhi taking over as Congress president. Priyanka Gandhi should be elected to lead the party.”