Chief Minister Harish Rawat’s meeting with the Congress high command in Delhi, coinciding with Diwali celebrations, has raised hopes among the workers of the Uttarakhand unit who have been waiting to have a bigger role in the party organisation or in the Government for a long time.
The interesting fact is that the demand for accommodating ‘hard working’ party workers from the Uttarakhand unit of the party is being raised since the time the new Congress-led State Government with Harish Rawat at the helm assumed charge in the spring of 2012.
More so, the demand for giving a bigger role to the “hard working” party leaders in the Government or in the organisation that is being raised from within the party keeps on gaining momentum over the years. True, keeping in view the sentiments of the party workers, the then Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna accommodated a few party leaders in the Government, committees and councils. However, many ‘deserving’ party leaders were left out. Things continue even after the new regime took charge, said the Congress leaders here.
What is intriguing is that the change of guard only delayed the process of accommodation, they said. The long-awaited re-jig process of the organisational structure of the party is being kept on hold for reasons best known to those who are running the show in the State, many of the disgruntled leaders said. Now, things have looked up for them as none other than the State party president Kishore Upadhyay himself has taken the lead on the matter. He said he is for the State Government duly 'honouring' the 'hardworking' party leaders.
He has also announced to suitably reward the 'hardworking' party works by giving 'rightful' places to them in the party hierarchy.
More so, during his recent Kumaon visit, Upadhyay maintained, the party would also honour those leaders who had performed well in the recently concluded panchayat elections.
Under this process, the State Congress is all set to organise two party conventions- one in the Kumaon division and the other in the Garhwal region- to felicitate the panchayat representatives and other 'hardworking' party leaders.
The observers believe the matter of accommodating the ‘hard working’ party workers in the Government or in the party organisation was on the top of the Chief Minister Rawat's agenda during his discussion with the party high command.
The matter related to how the services of the party leaders both in the Government and in the party organisation could be put to better use, has been taken up with the party’s central leadership along with the developmental works, Chief Minister Rawat said after the meeting. Since almost all the MlAs from the ruling Congress and the alliance partners have been entrusted with responsibilities in the present Harish Rawat Government as well as in committees and councils it is interesting to see how the leadership would make room in the Government for those still left out.