NEW DELHI: The turmoil in the ruling Congress party in Delhi refuses to die down. This time round it is the Sheila Dikshit camp that is taking on the dissidents within the Congress Legislature Party. For the first time, a whip has been issued asking all CLP members to be present in the House during the entire session of the Delhi Assembly.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was on Monday seen pleading with the Speaker, Chaudhary Prem Singh, that the expelled BJP legislators be called back to ensure smooth conduct of proceedings after the House was adjourned for 30 minutes for lack of quorum. Her desperation clearly indicated the situation within the CLP and her failure to carry everyone along.

Observers believe that Ms. Dikshit is disturbed by recent developments and is not too happy with the handling of the situation by the high command. The loyalist camp has time and again complained that the party leadership is lenient with the dissidents and has not taken action against them for various acts of omission and commission during the past few weeks.

The functioning of the Assembly during the past four sittings has left a lot to be desired as the ruling party has had to scramble to ensure quorum in the House. On more than two occasions the House had to be adjourned for lack of quorum - a poor reflection of the working of the Government and floor coordination.

On Tuesday, Chief Whip Ramakant Goswami issued two whips to the ruling party members. While one of the whips directed the ruling party members, who had submitted amendments to the Lieutenant-Governor's address, to withdraw their amendments by 2 p.m., the other whip directed all the members to be present in the House throughout the session till March 17. It is learnt that ruling party MLAs had moved 18 amendments to the Lieutenant-Governor's address putting the Government in an embarrassing situation. What has taken the ruling party legislators by surprise is the second whip directing MLAs to be present during the session.

"We have withdrawn the amendments as a whip had been issued. But we want to make it clear that the Lieutenant-Governor's address does not focus on the ideals and principles of the Congress party and the concern of its president Sonia Gandhi for the common man,'' senior Congress MLA Bhisham Sharma stated.

Since the beginning of the session, the Sheila Dikshit camp has turned aggressive and launched a scathing attack on DPCC president Ram Babu Sharma accusing him of working against the interests of the Government.

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