The Hindu : New Delhi News : Coordination panel the next flash point in battle of supremacy?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 13, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Coordination panel the next flash point in battle of supremacy?

Sujay Mehdudia

Hectic lobbying among warring factions for place in the new committee

NEW DELHI: Even as the battle for gaining control over the organisation rages on in the Delhi Congress, the constitution of a Coordination Committee for ensuring proper rapport between the Government and the party machinery could well be the next flashpoint in the ongoing battle for supremacy between the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president, Ram Babu Sharma.

The Coordination Committee is being set up on the direction of the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, who while working out a compromise between the two warring factions of the Delhi Congress had suggested putting in place such a mechanism.

Such a committee had existed under the late senior Congress leader, Madhav Rao Scindia, during the first tenure of Ms. Dikshit and had Deep Chand Sharma and Jag Parvesh Chandra as members.

However, the recent rumblings within the party and the confrontation between Mr. Sharma and Ms. Dikshit had forced the party high command to take note of the situation and work out a method for close coordination between the two wings.

It is understood that hectic lobbying has already begun among the warring factions to impress upon the leadership to accommodate their own favourites in the new committee.

The Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, on Wednesday had met the AICC general secretary in-charge, Ashok Gehlot, and is learnt to have discussed the matter pertaining to the constitution of the Coordination Committee and the decisions taken during the meeting of the Manifesto Committee on Monday. Apart from Mr. Gehlot, the other members of the committee will be Ms. Dikshit and Mr. Sharma.

In addition to this, another three senior members of standing are likely to be included in the committee. It is understood that both the DPCC chief and Ms. Dikshit have asked to submit a panel of names for inclusion in the Coordination Committee so that its work could begin in the shortest possible time. Ms. Gandhi will give the final approval to the names of the Coordination Committee.

It is on this issue that both the factions are insisting on getting their own close aides accommodated in the committee to influence the decision making process.

It is also understood that the Finance Minister, A.K. Walia, could find a place in the committee as the candidate of Ms. Dikshit. Apart from the Union Minister for NRI Affairs, Jagdish Tytler, the names of Union Minister for Science and Technology, Kapil Sibal, Outer Delhi Member of Parliament, Sajjan Kumar, New Delhi Member of Parliament, Ajay Maken and former Transport Minister, Pervez Hashmi are doing rounds for being members of this new committee.

According to sources, the party high command has issued directions that all major policy decisions would be discussed by the Coordination Committee before they are formally taken up for implementation.

This could well include appointments to the various Boards and Corporations, crucial policy decisions relating to hike in water, power or transport tariffs in future, constitution of the various committees of the government, discussions on contentious issues facing the party and the government so as to present a common stand before the public on important matters.

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