Congress’ Jamtara MlA Irfan Ansari on Monday lambasted State unit chief Sukhdeo Bhagat seeking his resignation.
Irfan, the first time MlA, who had been served a showcause for criticising Bhagat, openly questioned the latter’s stay at the office.
Irfan, who had resorted to similar tirade against the party boss earlier as well, is looking in a combative mood again this time around. “Who has issued the show causeIJ In any case, I cannot allow the party to go into drains like that. What have been his (Sukhdeo Bhagat’s) achievementsIJ He is unable to make the party any stronger. Was he made party president to take the party to hellIJ He should quit if he is unable to run the affairs,” said the MlA while also terming the president an ‘outsider’.
The MlA, who is apparently eyeing for party chief post for his father and former MP Furkan Ansari, has gone out of control with State leadership having no say on him. However, Irfan is hiding behind the Congress high command and pledged that he is abiding by party norms.
“There was no programme of the party even during Hul Divas in Santhal Pargana neither on other occasions. The party is directionless and conceding its grounds to BJP and JMM due to the leadership only. I am going to expose him before Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi after the Assembly session,” went on Irfan.
Significantly, he is not the only case before the party’s disciplinary committee which just issues notices without any considerable follow-up action. Very recently newly elected MlA from Panki Devender Singh openly took party for a ride during Rajya Sabha polling. His cat and mouse game cost the party dearly as the BJP gained both the seats available despite being short in numbers.
In another case, former Barkagaon MlA Yogender Sao was shown in a sting operation bargaining with the ruling side for relief in the criminal cases filed against him and his MlA wife Nirmala Devi for her vote in return. It is not a secret that despite being in the Opposition camp the floor managers of Congress and JMM had to toil hard in bringing her up to the polling booth to vote in the biennial election.
“These are the ramifications of what the sense is inside the party. After winning elections, the MlAs believe that the victory is due to their own efforts and not due to party’s banner. You can recall approach of Rajendra Singh, KN Tripathi, Banna Gupta, Mannan Mallick, Dadai Dubey (all former legislators) etc towards the State leadership and their open remarks. No repercussion thereafter has fueled the fire,” said a party insider.
He also cited another example referring to a bloody clash between sons of Rajendra Singh and Mannan Mallick right at the party office in the presence of then State in-charge BK Hariprasad a couple of years ago. “Hariprasad had given go ahead to the PCC to take action but he sat on that. The PCC president is just enjoying his stay at the helm without much control over the ranks and files in the party,” he added.
However, Sukhdeo Bhagat denied that he had lost control over his fellow partymen. “No MlA is bigger than the organisation. If anyone has any grievance, the matter should be raised at the appropriate party forum,” Bhagat told The Pioneer from Delhi where he would now apprise the high command about the incidents and instead wait for the disciplinary committee’s call which is less likely to come.