Damage control begins, but dissidence continues in Cong

By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 15 Apr: the Uttarakhand Congress leadership has begun damage control on the dissidence and turmoil that the party is witnessing currently in the state following the massive defeat in the recent assembly elections. However, so far, the damage control does not seem to be working effectively enough as the dissidence continues and no one who is protesting has been placated, thus far, according to party insiders.
Sources in the party claim that the Congress High Command had issued directions to the new PCC Chief, Karan Mahra, and the new Leader of the Opposition, Yashpal Arya, to take up damage control in right earnest.
It was claimed that MLAs like Harish Dhami and Madan Bisht continue to be angry and have not been placated, so far. Among those who continue to be angry are Rajendra Singh Bhandari and Vikram Singh Negi, apart from Pritam Singh and several others, including Ranjit Rawat.
The Congress leaders today held a meeting with the dissidents but Harish Dhami was not present at the meeting. Former Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh went to meet Madan Bisht and Vikram Negi, and those present included ex-MLA Vijaypal Sajwan, ex-MLA Rajkumar and Deputy Leader of the House Bhuvan Kapri. State President Karan Mahra and Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya also interacted with some MLAs, yesterday and today, while State in-charge Devendra Yadav is also learnt to be in constant touch with Arya and Mahra.
Sources claimed that Yadav also held talks with Badrinath MLA Rajendra Bhandari, Ravi Bahadur and Khushal Singh Adhikari.
Meanwhile, veteran Congress leader Harish Rawat was today in Haridwar where he bathed in River Ganga and offered worship at a local Shiva temple. Interacting with media persons, he said he was not seeking any kind of atonement but the blessings of Shiva and Ganga. He also claimed that there was no dissidence or factionalism in the party and that no party leader would be leaving the party. This would imply that his involvement is deeper than seems presently apparent.