Chief Minister Harish Rawat at the concluding day of the two-day 'Manthan Shivir' of the State Congress on Wednesday adroitly played down the issue of party's alliance with the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) that has spawned wide-spread resentment in the State party roost.Sensing the mood in the leaders and the rank and file, Rawat said the party activists having given suggestions and aired grievances in course of the churning session is overwhelming.
We would definitely take into serious consideration the suggestions that the session has thrown up. They would help us chalk out the party's future programmes and policies, he said, in an apparent bid to keep those sulking in good humour.However, when it came to the vexed issue of PDF remaining in the government, he tucked things into the court of the party’s high command without committing himself to any stance. “The high command took the decision to keep the alliance of the party with PDF intact in the CWC meeting. Now it is up to them to take the final call whether or not the party should continue having trucks with PDF,” he said.
However, in the same breath, he said they should for the time being work in coordination with the alliance partners to see how things could be bettered for the betterment of the party and more importantly, for the people at large.Despite the CM remaining non-committal, the disgruntled State party leaders take his equivocal stance for his roundabout rejection of their demand to immediately cut things adrift. They said some of the PDF members are Congress rebels who were denied party tickets in the last Assembly polls. So if alliance continues what will be party's poll strategy for the upcoming Assembly polls in 2017, they wonderedIJ Would the party deny tickets to its 'deserving' activists to keep the alliance applecart intactIJ
However, the party leaders said that the two days’ brainstorming session was not meant just to enable the party activists to ventilate views. Rather it was a platform for introspection on a range of issues right from party's ideology to booth management to deepening the party’s connect with the common people, a senior party leader said.