The Hindu : National : Leadership question after poll, says Vora

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Friday, Feb 16, 2007
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National

National

Leadership question after poll, says Vora

Special Correspondent

Decision not to allow senior leaders to contest taken in the larger interest of the party

Dehra Dun: The All-India Congress Committee treasurer who is in charge of Uttarakhand, Motilal Vora, on Tuesday said the decision not to allow senior leaders to contest was taken in the larger interest of the party. He was responding to remarks that the party was left "leaderless" at a crucial time following Chief Minister Narain Dutt Tiwari's announcement that he was leaving active politics and would not take up the reins of the State if returned to power.

Camping in the city and coordinating the day-to-day activities of the party, Mr. Vora said that besides Mr. Tiwari, Uttarakhand Congress Committee president Harish Rawat and senior leader Satpal Maharaj too were not in the fray in the Assembly polls. "It was a conscious decision taken after due consideration. When the Congress wins majority, we will consult the party MLAs and the high command to decide who would lead the Government. This is the Congress tradition and we will follow it," he said.

Terming it BJP inspired propaganda, Mr. Vora said that even the BJP failed to project a leader or a Chief Ministerial candidate. The battle is on between the former Union Minister, B.C. Khandoori, and the former Chief Minister, Bhagat Singh Koshari, but the party has failed to come clear on the issue.

Rebels warned

Asked if the rebel candidates were harming the party and its prospects, Mr. Vora said the rebels had little support among the masses and they had always been given prominence due to the Congress party's name to with them. Now that many of them decided to leave the party and contest against the official candidates, it was decided that such people would not be taken back in the party at any cost and they would also not be considered for a post or nomination in future even in case they managed to get back into the party after some time.

"We will not tolerate any kind of indiscipline. We did not consider the names of those people who had contested the 2002 Assembly polls against the party candidates but came back to the party. We are very firm on this issue," he said.

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