Early Times Report
JAMMU, Feb 19: Although Congress high command has constituted jumbo Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) to rehabilitate all leaders and workers yet party leadership has virtually ditched those leaders who have joined the party recently. 15 prominent persons including a retired female bureaucrat had joined Congress four months back with a hope that they would be accommodated in the party.
Prominent among those who had joined Congress included Thakur Balbir Singh, who was general secretary in PDP, Aslam Goni, who was political advisor to Union Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, veteran leader and one of the founders of PDP, Master Tassadiq Hussain, Murtaza Khan, ex-MLA, Shafiq Mir, Zahid Khan, Mujib Ali and others. Balbir Singh and Aslam Goni have been considered as "big guns" in politics of Jammu but even they could not find their names in the new PCC.
Balbir Singh was state general secretary of PDP when he had quitted the party. Unlike Congress, PDP had only two general secretaries one for Kashmir valley and another for Jammu province. Balbir Singh was alone general secretary for Jammu province.
Credible sources in the Congress said that party high command had almost given its consent to make Thakur Balbir Singh, Murtaza Khan and Tassadiq Hussain as general secretaries of the party but the proposal was rejected due to opposition from the local leaders. Similarly there was proposal to properly accommodate Aslam Goni but that proposal was also not materialized due to stiff opposition by local leaders.
Sources said that new entrants in the party were feeling betrayed as none of them was not adjusted in the party.
As reported earlier, AICC general secretary Janardhan Diwedi on February 14 had announced jumbo PCC comprised of 12 vice presidents, 25 general secretaries, 52 executive committee members, 27 organizing secretaries and 52 secretaries.
Even in this jumbo PCC, party leadership could not accommodate new entrants which is a clear indication that local leadership is strongly opposing those who have joined the party.
Credible sources said that local leaders have made it clear to the party leadership that they would strongly oppose any move to accommodate outsiders at the cost of those who have been associated with Congress since long. |
