How to bring all the senior leaders at one platform for revival of the Congress here in Uttar Pradesh will be the million dollar question which the oldest political party of the country would like to find out during interaction of the Party’s think tank here on coming Sunday.
Interestingly, success of the above latest mission of Congress high-command would be gauged by the fact that some senior leaders already planned `excuses’ on health or some other engagements, just to remain away from the meeting. Sources said that they knew that the differences of the Party would come out in the fore during the meeting so they were giving a serious thought of remaining away from it.
Surprisingly, the Party is also keeping the names of senior leaders who had to participate, a closely guarded secret. On Wednesday afternoon, chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC), Satyadev Tripathi, who confirmed of meeting of senior leaders claimed that the list of participants is not available with him. He just said that the meeting will be headed by All India general secretary, Madhusudan Mistri, who is also incharge of the Party here in UP, and will be presided over by state president, Nirmal Khatri.
Sources, however, confirmed that on direction of the Party’s high command to call all the senior leaders hailing from Uttar Pradesh, in a meeting on coming Sunday, to discuss the plan of how to bring this oldest Party back on main track to success, Madhusudan Mistri and Nirmal Khatri, called a meeting here at lucknow on coming Sunday in which over two dozen senior leaders have been invited. The main aim of the meeting is to find out some way through which all the senior leaders would kept their difference aside and work jointly for upliftment of the Party.
Sources further said that besides Mistri and Khatri, and all the four AICC secretaries who were looking after UP, all the former minister in the UPA government, which included Beni Prasad Verma, who is also member of Congress Working Committee (CWC), highest working body of the Party, along with two other CWC members, Mohisina Kidwai, and Raj Babbar, were invited for the meeting.
Along with the above, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Arun Kumar Singh `Munna’ (both ex-state president of Congress), ClP leader, Pradeep Mathur, ClP in Council, Naseeb Pathan, former ClP and Rajya Sabha MP, Pramod Tewari, another MP, Sanjay Singh, have been invited. Some other veteran leaders like Ram lal Rahi, Ammar Rizvi, Swaroop Kumar Bakshi, Ranjeet Judev, Ram Krishna Dwivedi, Satyadev Tripathi, Harish Bajpai, are also likely to participate in it.
Meanwhile, UPCC Media Cell Chairman, Satyadev Tripathi said that on Saturday, the ClP leader, Pradeep Mathur, State president, Nirmal Khatri and all other MlAs of the Congress would sit on dharna at GPO to protest the killing of Congress leader in Amethi and to demand arrest of the culprits. It may be mentioned that former MlA of Gauriganj Jung Bhadhur Singh’s son Mahendra Pratap Singh was killed in Amethi few days back. Tripathi said that on coming Monday, Mistri and Khatri, would also interact with all the district and city unit presidents of the Congress to discuss further course of action on how to strengthen the organisation. It may be mentioned that speculations are high that before the Monday’s meeting, Khatri would announce the names of remaining district and city presidents.