Battle within the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee ahead of bypoll in lohardaga has attracted attention of the Congress high command. The rival camp of the incumbent PCC president Sukhdeo Bhagat, who is an undeclared candidate for the bypoll, has got an earful for running a parallel organisation at the State level.
Sources privy to developments in the party revealed that the recent dharna at Raj Bhawan and similar programmes at Godda and other parts of the State have not gone down well to the party leadership. “The State organisation does not have any issue with their organising dharna and rallies against the anti-people policies of the Government. But the incumbent leadership should be kept in loop which has not been the case,” said a general secretary level leader.
Recently, the so called rival camp in the leadership of former JPCC chief and Rajya Sabha MP Pradeep Balmuchu and Dhreeraj Sahu had organised protest against inflation, law and order and farmers’ issues in front of Raj Bhawan in which no face from the Sukhdeo Bhagat camp participated. The gesture was taken as an open and unending grudge of the former State president against the existing one.
“Soren Ram, the president of SC/ST cell of the party used to shoot letters daily to party office for insignificant issues. He had even visited the office a day ahead of the dharna. But the JPCC president and other leaders of the party were not informed about it formally and were not invited. It is the time when we should have raised host of issues concerning common man but it is unfortunate that our infighting is going out loud and clear,” affirmed Alok Kumar Dubey, a senior party functionary.
Similar was the act at Godda a few days ago when former MlA Rajesh Ranjan organised a dharna while keeping the leadership in dark. It is learnt that even Godda district Congress president Deepika Pandey was not informed and invited to attend the programme. The gesture attracted ire of the PCC chief and an explanation has been sought from Rajesh Ranjan which again made an issue by Balmuchu.
Tit for tat diplomacy was seen on Friday as well when none of the Balmuchu camp accompanied a delegation led by Sukhdeo Bhagat that walked to the Raj Bhawan to apprise Governor Draupadi Murmu about drought like situation in the State, high prices of essential commodities and poor law and order.
“They deliberately do this. We have taken up the matter with the high command and whenever it happens they get a rap from there. At that time they promise to mend their ways but continue doing the same. Even after the recent raps we have definite inputs that the Balmuchu camp is damaging Sukhdeo Bhagat’s prospects at lohardaga,” added one.
Bhagat is fighting a battle of his life at lohardaga while his rivals also see this as an opportunity to finish him forever. It is learnt that the PCC president who had earlier lost the seat two consecutive times has been given the last chance from Delhi to prove his credentials.
“Pradeep Balmuchu, Dheeraj Sahu and Rameshwar Oraon are doing their best to finish Bhagat off. They have done this before and played crucial roles in Bhagat’s narrow defeats from lohardaga,” said the general secretary.