CWC made a steering panel

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, NOV. 25. The Congress President, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, today converted the Congress Working Committee (CWC) into a steering committee, pending its reconstitution. The new CWC will be elected at the AICC session which is likely to be held either in the third week of December in the Capital, or in the second week of January in one of the southern States.

In a statement, Mr, Oscar Fernandes, general secretary, said ``in terms of the provisions of the party constitution, the Congress president has converted the existing working committee into a steering committee''. He said the steering committee would carry on the routine work of the CWC and the office-bearers would continue till the formation of a new working committee.

The decision is being viewed as an attempt by Mrs. Gandhi to assert her position and establish her authority over the party. With the CWC now reduced to a lame duck body, the field is now clear for the Congress president to take decisions without having to get them ratified by the CWC. These policy decisions can straight away be ratified by the AICC.

According to the Congress party constitution, a new CWC has to be elected by the AICC delegates within two months of the president's election. Though traditionally the CWC has been elected at the plenary session of the party, this time the leadership is toying with the idea of delinking the CWC election from the plenary session and hold a special session to elect the CWC members. There is a view in the party, that if elections are held at the plenary, all the attention is focussed on the elections and the political import of the AICC session is reduced.

The delinking of the CWC elections is the second such decision. Earlier in a departure from tradition, the party decided to delink the Congress president's election from that of the PCC elections. Mrs. Gandhi was elected party president on November 12, while the polls to elect PCC chiefs, PCC executive members and AICC delegates are now being held in different States.

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Section  : National
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