It’s less than six months in the run up to the Assembly polls in the State and the Grand Old Party is struggling to keep its house in order.On the one hand, PCC president Sukhdeo Bhagat and State in-charge BK Hariprasad are toiling hard to re-organise the party cadres after the poll debacle and on the other, some stalwarts are not relenting to keep their bastions alive in the party.
Senior Congress leader Radha Krishna Kishore resigned from the membership of party on Saturday, while senior leaders Subodh Kant Sahay, Pradeep Balmuchu, Rameshwar Oraon, Dhiraj Sahu and others held a meeting in Delhi after Oraon reportedly met AICC member Ambika Soni.Sources in the JPCC said that the meeting was called by the anti-Bhagat lobby, which want to dethrone him in order to keep a safe passage for some senior leaders and their kin in the upcoming polls.
“There are some people in the party who want change in the organisational structure. And this is basically a group of those who have lost the polls. It is popular as the losers’ association among party workers. They lost the polls and now want to keep their interests safe,” said a senior leader requesting anonymity.“In fact these all leaders including Subodh Kant Sahay, Furkan Ansari, Rameshwar Oraon and others want to either jump in the poll fray themselves or want tickets for their kin. This is why they keep experimenting with pressure building tactics. They want pie in the Assembly polls,” he added.
However, former Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahay denied that the meeting had to do anything with politics in Jharkhand.“We are all (seniors) here in Delhi. It is nothing but natural to meet. I have come here for some personal work and will stay for a couple of days. One should not make out speculative stories,” said Sahay over phone from Delhi.Notably, party insiders hinted that the AICC is treading very cautiously after the poll debacle and the ‘losers’ may not get a chance this time in the Assembly polls.
Former Union Minister Sahay, ex-MPs Dhiraj Sahu, Furkan Ansari and Rameshwar Oraon have lost the lok Sabha polls this year. Meanwhile, senior leader Radha Krishna Kishore left the Congress on Saturday. He faxed his resignation from membership of the party to the JPCC chief Sukhdev Bhagat. Confirming the step Kishore said, “I am an Independent now”.
Although he avoided any direct reply as to which party he would join as his close confidants hinted that Kishore would go to the BJP. The leaders is also a kin of BJP MP from Palamu VD Ram.Kishore has not raised any accusing finger towards any Congress leader of the state but has rued the party has itself allowed to sink by forming alliance with JMM and the RJD.
“I do not pass the buck on any individual but what I felt the congress party is at the moment a mismatch with the masses. leaders having quality were sidelined while non profitable things in the party were promoted,” he said.