MLAs protest over PCC condition

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, OCT. 30.

The Congress high command's decision not to make legislators office-bearers of the Delhi PCC has drawn strong protests from MLAs who are preparing to petition the leadership to waive this criterion. It is believed that a large number of loyalists and other MLAs have conveyed their resentment to the Chief Minister, Ms. Sheila Dikshit, and urged her to take up the matter with the party president, Ms. Sonia Gandhi, at the earliest.

It is understood that during the past few days, many MLAs have met the AICC(I) general secretary incharge Delhi, Mr. Kamal Nath, on this issue. What has irked them is that while no such bar has been placed on the Councillors holding a position in the PCC(I), MLAs are being discriminated against. They have also conveyed their resentment over the failure to settle the issue of block presidents which had been hanging fire for two months. Mr. Nath is understood to have said that he had not come up with any such proposal.

This new development is expected to further delay the final list of the DPCC(I) office-bearers which is said to be in its final stages. It is believed that Mr. Nath would be meeting Ms. Dikshit and the DPCC(I) president, Mr. Subhash Chopra, tonight to discuss the list of short-listed candidates. The issue of MLAs holding office is also expected to come up for discussion. Insiders in the party said Mr.Chopra had submitted the final list to the Chief Minister for consideration.

What the MLAs have sought to highlight is that while the Councillors, who have to contest polls early next year, are being taken in the PCC(I), they are being debarred. Many have met the Chief Minister in recent days and asked her to take up the matter with the leadership so that they are not discriminated against. It is argued that it was MLAs who brought in crowds for party programmes and without them figuring in the office-bearers list, the party would find the going difficult.

Similarly, some MLAs also pointed out that if this criteria is sought to be applied strictly for MLAs, then the three District Congress Committee(I) presidents -- Mr. Arvinder Singh Lovely, Mr. Raj Kumar Chauhan and Ms. Darshana Kumar -- should be asked to step down. It was also pointed out that even the DPCC(I) president was an MLA. The MLAs also pleaded that no person who is not a member of the party or is not a PCC(I) delegate should be included in the list of office-bearers as it would send a wrong signal and generate controversy.

It is believed the Chief Minister is also going to submit her list of candidates to Mr. Nath. She is expected to back the claim of MLAs for being included in the PCC(I). Also Ms. Dikshit is expected to send across a strong message that anybody who is an outsider would not be acceptable. Interestingly, the list she submitted is understood to contain names of certain known dissidents including some MLAs. She is also understood to have given up her opposition to the name of the known dissident MLA, Mr. Mukesh Sharma, for the post of PCC(I) spokesman.

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