With Union Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Beni Prasad Verma already pointing towards a change in Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee soon, the fate of Nirmal Khatri as State president reportedly hangs in balance. Speculations are high that some young face from Uttar Pradesh would be
asked to step down from Manmohan Singh’s Ministry to take the job from Khatri particularly to galvanise activities so that chances of good performance in the biggest State could be ensured.
Nirmal Khatri, who is busy in Varanasi to make his show against the State Government for not implementing Food Security Act and other problems related to farmers a success on coming Thursday, seems to be facing an uphill task to attract partymen particularly after news about his possible exit from the UPCC gained momentum in the past few weeks. The leaders at All India Congress Committee were the first to float news about Khatri’s removal from the post about a month back. The news was also buttressed with the fact
that even after completing more than 15-months in office, he failed to form his committee at the State level and just continued to work with temporary arrangement.
The party State leadership, mostly who were eying for some key post in the UPCC were not just upset with the unnecessary delay made by Khatri but also expressed their surprise as the party had to face biggest challenge in the coming Parliament elections which is just about four months away.
Sources said that when the local leaders were not happy with the delay, Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma during his recent visit to the State capital put a question mark over Khatri’s tenure as State president. At a Press conference called by Verma to raise the issue of riots victims in Muzaffarnagar, CWC member claimed that change in State Congress is a must. Few days back, Beni also criticised State leaders when he claimed that some of them are working as ‘agents’ of Samajwadi Party.