File photo of Sonia Gandhi leading Congress leaders in a 'walk of solidarity' for Manmohan Singh

The Congress, a party of 44 MPs, has appointed 52 spokespersons.



As it fights for relevance after a string of election defeats, the party today announced an army of four senior spokespersons, 17 new spokespersons and 31 media panelists, besides two media coordinators.



Among the new faces is actor-politician Khushboo, who quit the DMK last year. Young MPs like Gaurav Gogoi and Sushmita Deb have apparently been rewarded for their impressive performance in Parliament.



Former minister CP Joshi, who is not seen as media friendly, has been made senior spokesperson, along with Ajay Maken, Satyabrat Chaturvedi and Shakeel Ahmed.



The announcement comes in the middle of the party's campaign against the government's controversial Land Bill, an amended version of a law enacted when the Congress was in power.



While attempting to corner the government on the land bill and other controversies, the Congress has found itself spending much time defending Rahul Gandhi, who has taken a sabbatical that saw him missing the first half of the Budget session.



At least twice, Congress leaders have shared his date of return, only to say later that he has extended his "leave of absence."





Mr Gandhi is abroad to introspect, Congress leaders have said, but have not said where. They now say he will return by the end of this month.The 44-year-old, who has positioned himself as a champion of farmers on land acquisition, was also MIA when the Congress led a 14-party protest against the Land Bill last week.His mother and party president Sonia Gandhi has led most recent protests.

Earlier this month, Mrs Gandhi and several senior Congress leaders in a "walk of solidarity" to former prime minister Manmohan Singh's house after he was summoned as an accused in a coal scam case.The unusual gesture came after the Congress and its spokespersons confronted allegations that they had failed to rally strongly behind the man who led two successive governments.