The Hindu : New Delhi News : Power struggle within Congress intensifies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 19, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Power struggle within Congress intensifies

Sujay Mehdudia

Decision to convene meeting to discuss ongoing demolitions has brought matters to a flashpoint

NEW DELHI: Even as the Congress leadership is in the final phase of preparations for the party session starting in Hyderabad from January 21, the bitter war of words between DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma and Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit is getting louder. Allegations of wrongdoing by Ms. Dikshit and her family members on violation of building by-laws have further intensified the struggle for power within the party.

Mr. Sharma's decision to convene a meeting of the party's executive committee on Thursday in view of the ongoing demolitions in the Capital and other related issues has brought matters to a flashpoint. The loyalist camp is of the view that the meeting had been convened to "humiliate" the Chief Minister in the run-up to the AICC session and it would further dent the uneasy relationship between the party and the Government. Interestingly, it is learnt that Ms. Dikshit is reluctant to attend the meeting in view of past experience and could even seek its postponement citing preparations for the AICC meeting. It is understood that the Chief Minister has written to the party high command and sought its intervention in the matter. However, Mr. Sharma is unlikely to accede to the request to postpone the meeting in view of the seriousness of the situation.

What has further added to the already prevailing chaos is the latest round of allegations by BJP leader Vijender Gupta against the Chief Minister, her son and East Delhi MP Sandeep Dikshit and her close relatives. Ms. Dikshit and her son have already refuted the allegations and termed them as motivated and baseless levelled by her rivals to defame her. However, the Congress leaders refuse to believe this and have already sounded the party leadership on the issue. "When our names came up in the newspapers and we pleaded innocence, the Chief Minister stated that whatever is illegal should be demolished even if it belongs to a leader or MLA. Now she is faced with the same situation and wants her version to be taken at face value. The law of the land has to be the same for everybody," a senior party leader remarked.

The party leaders are preparing to take on Ms. Dikshit at the executive committee meeting on Thursday and along with demolitions the issue of power and water is also likely to figure prominently. Interestingly, in view of Ms. Dikshit's objection, the DPCC has decided to hold the executive committee meeting behind closed doors.

Be it the poor power and water situation in the Capital or the current phase of demolitions, the party is totally divided. A crisis seems to be stalking the party in the shape of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report prepared under the leadership of Congress MLA S.C. Vats. On the other hand, the loyalist faction has struck back at the rivals with the ousted MLA Kiran Walia challenging the decision of the Speaker, Chaudhary Prem Singh, to terminate her membership from the PAC. Now the Congress-led MCD has sought a status report on the properties of the Chief Minister and her relatives as pointed out by Mr. Gupta.

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