By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 12 Apr: Concerned with the intensifying infighting within Uttarakhand Congress, the party high command has decided to intervene and curb the factionalism. For this, the party has appointed senior Congress leader PL Punia as an observer to try to curb the infighting and resolve the differences between different leaders within the party.
According to sources within the party, Punia is expected to visit the state any day after 14 April. During his stay, he is expected to meet all party seniors including those who have been making public statements against each other and against the Leader in charge of party affairs in Uttarakhand, Devendra Yadav. These leaders include ex-PCC Chief, ex-Cabinet Minister and ex-Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh. Punia is also expected to meet Madan Bisht and Tilak Raj Behad about whom the speculation is rife that they may soon leave the party.
It may be recalled that, ever since the change in guard in the Pradesh Congress Committee when Karan Mahra replaced Ganesh Godiyal as the PCC Chief, bickering by party leaders against each other has become the order of the day and many believe that one of the reasons for the huge defeat of Congress in the assembly elections was infighting within the party.
Mahra, was brought in as a young PCC Chief to curb infighting but obviously he has so far not been able to deliver on this front. The protests and agitation by the party leaders have increased under his leadership but Mahra has not been able to prevent the party seniors from issuing public statements against each other and against Devendra Yadav. Pritam Singh has been the most vocal in this respect, while Harish Rawat is learnt to be backing Karan Mahra. None has, however, tried seriously to resolve the differences. It remains to be seen, however, if Punia will be able to resolve the differences between the senior party leaders which range from allegations of being ignored, and of regionalism, to sabotaging each other’s credibility within the party. One senior leader who has stayed away from this squabble has been Yashpal Arya, who is currently the Leader of the Opposition, but the warring factions even accuse him of not trying to take an initiative to settle the differences.
Punia is a senior party leader but party seniors in Uttarakhand like Harish Rawat have a much bigger standing within the party and it may not be easy for Punia to handle them. Secondly, it also remains to be seen if he will be accompanied by State In charge Devendra Yadav, who has not visited the state very frequently after the party’s huge loss in the assembly elections last year. Sources remind that the party high command is now consistently failing to control the party and ensure unity within the party anywhere in the country and cite the examples of Rajasthan and Karnataka, which are poll bound.
