The Congress on Wednesday announced that it has set up a 10-member strategy team to streamline its communication. The team will collaborate with the national party’s existing communication team. Party leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, P Chidambaram, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Jairam Ramesh, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Sushmita Dev are among those appointed on the panel.

“The group will meet daily and assist the communication department of the AICC,” a statement from AICC General Secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.

The announcement follows the controversy surrounding party Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with the Chinese Ambassador. On July 10, the Congress first refuted reports that the meeting had taken place before admitting that Gandhi had met Ambassador Luo Zhaohui. “It is my job to be informed on critical issues,” Rahul Gandhi had tweeted after critics questioned the nature of the meeting.

The Sonia Gandhi-led party also appointed new officials in charge of the All India Congress Committee operations in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. P L Punia was picked as the party official in charge of Congress activities in Chhattisgarh, while R P N Singh will hold the post in Jharkhand.