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Dissident camp division a relief for Sheila

Sujay Mehdudia

Sajjan Kumar's closeness to Chief Minister has led to resentment among many party legislators

NEW DELHI: Sharp divisions within the ranks of dissidents in the Delhi unit of the Congress, their differences on the constitution of various committees in the Government and the party and the different course being charted out by some senior leaders have provided much needed breathing space to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, according to political observers here.

It is learnt that sharp differences have cropped up within the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee over appointment of block returning officers, district presidents and alderman to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Coupled with this, the recent handling of issues relating to water, power and industrial relocation have left the dissident ranks divided and disenchanted.

Observers are of the view that the DPCC has not been able to perform the function of a responsible party in power as it has not been able to address the problems of the people relating to power and water. There has hardly been any activity on the part of the DPCC to redress the grievances of the people and reassure them that their problems would be addressed. This has led to divisions within the ranks, as a number of senior leaders within the dissident group are understood to have conveyed their differences with the DPCC president, Ram Babu Sharma, on the issue. Also, on the issue of relocation of industries, there has hardly been any public assurance from the party for taking up the cause of the people with their own Government.

Highly placed sources trace these sharp divisions to the conflict of interest within the dissident group. What has complicated matters is the close proximity of the Member of Parliament from Outer Delhi, Sajjan Kumar, to both Mr. Sharma and Ms. Dikshit. This has led to strong resentment among the party legislators who accuse Mr. Kumar of playing one side against the other. "There is confusion within the ranks. Mr. Kumar's continued proximity to both Ms. Dikshit and Mr. Sharma has led to divisions within the dissident ranks. He cannot travel in two boats at the same time. This has upset many senior leaders who are now questioning Mr. Kumar's public postures,'' a senior party leader remarked.

Not only this, senior party leaders like Ajay Maken, Pervez Hashmi, Subhash Chopra and Delhi Assembly Speaker Chaudhary Prem Singh are upset over the postures of Mr. Kumar and the indifference shown towards this by the DPCC president. "One cannot run the movement or the party as a private limited company. Everybody has to be taken along and all decisions have to be taken jointly and not in isolation. But Mr. Kumar and Mr. Sharma are doing the opposite and this is harming our cause,'' said a former Minister.

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