Date:26/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/26/stories/2008042650040100.htm

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Jaffer Sharief quits Congress?

T.S. Ranganna

The senior leader is likely to meet Sonia Gandhi today

C.K. Jaffer Sharief

BANGALORE: The Congress in the State plunged into a crisis on Friday, following reports that the former Railway Minister and KPCC Manifesto Committee chairman C.K. Jaffer Sharief has resigned from the primary membership of the party.

But senior leaders, the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and Union Minister of State Prithviraj Chavan, both AICC general secretaries looking after Karnataka election affairs, who were finalising the list of candidates for the third phase of elections, swung into action and reportedly saved the situation for the time being.

Mr. Sharief, who was reportedly upset over the denial of ticket to one of his grandsons to contest from the Shivajinagar Assembly Constituency, has faxed a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi explaining the reasons for his resignation.

Making himself unavailable to the media and even senior party leaders, Mr. Sharief reportedly met the two leaders. They convinced him not to go public on the issue and assured him of an audience with Ms. Gandhi. The sources said Mr. Sharief was leaving for New Delhi to meet her tomorrow.

He was reportedly unhappy over the decision of the party to give the ticket to the former Minister R. Roshan Baig to contest from Shivajinagar. Mr. Sharief, a five-time MP, was defeated by H.T. Sangliana of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections in Bangalore North. He had served in the Council of Ministers led by Indira Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao holding Coal and Railways portfolios.

Mr. Sharief’s resignation might impact the poll prospects of the party, particularly among the minorities.

It is not known if Mr. Sharief, who has maintained good relations with the Bahujan Samaj Party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and National Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, is joining any of these parties.

While the BJP has announced its manifesto, the Congress has come out with a seven-point manifesto. KPCC president M. Mallikarjun Kharge said that the party’s complete manifesto would be announced on April 28.