SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, July 28: There are a total of 31 candidates who have staked claims for the position of district Congress president in Dhanbad. However, hardly 30 workers—including five counted leaders—appeared for the dharna at the Gandhi Seva Sadan to express solidarity for Sonia Gandhi, the party’s national president, who is being questioned by the ED.
Several senior leaders including two working presidents and the candidates for the post of the president were absent from the programme of the party.
The senior leaders who remained absent were Jharia MLA Purnima Neeraj Singh, both working presidents Ravindra Kumar Verma, Shankar Prajapati, former minister and president Mannan Mallick, Vijay Singh, Suresh Chandra Jha, Shamsher Alam, Ashok Singh, Prasant Surelia (traders cell president), Sita Rana (district woman cell president).
However, the selected leaders who participated in the dharna were district president Brajendra Prasad Singh, state working president Jaleshwar Mahto, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Santosh Singh, senior vice-president Mukhtar Khan, state committee member Madan Mahto. Mukhtar Khan is also in the race for district president.
When contacted, working president Ravindra Verma said that he was out of Jharkhand for treatment and he had duly informed about it to the state president Rajesh Thakur and district president Brajendra Prasad Singh.
Shamsher Alam was also engaged in the treatment of his daughter and was out of the district. He reportedly attended the party programme at Ranchi on Wednesday. Another senior leader Suresh Chandra Jha, who is also in the race for the president post, said that he had information about the dharna but due to unavoidable reasons, he could not attend it.
A senior Congress leader said that the dharna has exposed the organizational strength of the party. Ironically, 31 leaders have claimed the post of district president but merely 30 workers including president Brajendra Prasad Singh, who is not in the race for the next term, appeared for the demonstration. Sources said Mukhtar Khan along with his supporters attended to show his strength.
According to sources, the state committee has sought the list of leaders who attended the dharna programme on Wednesday at Gandhi Seve Sadan against ED questioning Sonia Gandhi.
The state committee has called all the 31 candidates of the district to Ranchi on July 30 for an interview. A senior leader said that though present president Brajendra Prasad Singh has not filed a nomination yet, he may be assigned the responsibility again as no consensus looks among the 31 candidates.
“Similar situation had appeared in 1980-81. All leaders were for the removal of the then president Yogeshwar Prasad Yogesh. State( Bihar) observer after the meeting gave one hour to select the name of one candidate in place of Yogesh. We failed to select a name and the high command appointed Yogesh again,” said the senior leader.
