Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Kishore Upadhyay has said that party leader Satyapal Singh had the right to contest as a party candidate in the Bhagwanpur Assembly bypolls but the situation restrained the party from fielding him. Rejecting media reports about factionalism in the Congress party following the release of the first list of PCC office-bearers and executive members, Upadhyay said more women would be included in the next list.
He also warned that in case any of the party members or nominated office bearers talked of tendering their resignation to the media before approaching the party leadership, it would be considered a serious breach of discipline and their resignation would be accepted. Addressing the mediapersons at the Congress Bhawan here on Friday, the PCC chief said that considering the work Singh had done in the constituency, he had the right to contest the Assembly bypoll in Bhagwanpur on the Congress ticket.
“Satpal Singh deserved to contest on the party ticket but following the untimely demise of Cabinet Minister Surendra Rakesh, the party communicated with his widow Mamta Rakesh who expressed her wish to contest the bypolls. We had to give the party ticket to her but the party is also responsible for securing Singh’s political future. Singh has been made a PCC general secretary and has also withdrawn his nomination from the Assembly bypoll which he had earlier decided to contest as an Independent candidate,” he said.
On being asked about making the deceased Minister’s brother Subodh Rakesh a PCC general secretary instead of long serving party members, he said that Subodh had joined the Congress along with his supporters at a time when the party needed that boost.
Rejecting reports of factionalism following the release of the first list of PCC office bearers and executive members, Upadhyay said the party had attempted to include both experience and enthusiasm in the PCC. On being asked about a party member made PCC secretary telling the media about tendering his resignation since the post was “not at par with his standing”, Upadhyay said that approaching the media with such an issue instead of raising it within the party would be considered a breach of discipline. “I haven’t yet received this resignation letter but if I do, it will be accepted since the person approached the media first. Such indiscipline will not be tolerated in the party,” he added.