Congress rift widens as Sheila overrules Chacko's order

New Delhi: Fissures within the Delhi Congress deepened further with the party’s state unit head and three-time chief minister Sheila Dikshit going against Congress general secretary P.C. Chacko’s directive of staying the dissolution of the 280 block committees by appointing observers to look out for new presidents for these committees in the national capital.

Ms Dikshit had dissolved the committees on the recommendations of a five-member committee set up by her to look into the reasons that had led to the party’s debacle in the seven Lok Sabha seats in the city.

The committee comprised of former Rajya Sabha MP Parvez Hashmi; former city ministers A.K. Walia and Yoganand Shastri; party’s national spokesperson Pawan Khera; and former four-time legislator Jaikishan.

Mr Chacko had overturned her decision on the ground that it could harm the party in the coming Assembly elections to be held in February next year.

Ms Dikshit, however, went ahead with her decision by appointing observers for 14 districts and the 280 block committees to short-list the names of probable candidates for the post of presidents for the block committees.

The observers have been told to interact with former MPs, MLAs, municipal councillors (past and present), senior leaders, and grass-root level workers before suggesting the probable names for the posts of Block Congress Committees within 10 days.

Among the district observers appointed by Ms Dikshit are Mr Walia, former city ministers Kiran Walia, Narendra Nath, Mangat Ram Singhal, and Ramakant Goswami.

The newly appointed district observers held their first meeting, on Friday, to chalk out the modalities for short-listing probable candidates for the post of presidents of the block committees.

A close confidant of Mr Chacko said that Ms Dikshit’s decision to appoint observers has not gone well with the Congress general secretary, who had earlier told the pradesh chief that  she should take any decision only after due consultation with her three working presidents — Haroon Yusuf, Rajesh Lilothia, and Devender Yadav.

Sources said that Ms Dikshit had not placed the five-member committee report for discussion before the three working presidents.