M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, March 8: Jharkhand State Congress is going to have its divisional party meet in Daltonganj on March 12, two days after the poll results of the five states where assembly elections were held. The poll results are on March 10.
The exit polls have not many encouraging things for this grand old party in its kitty and it may be a difficult task for the state Congress party functionaries to pump in enthusiasm among its partymen in the March 12 divisional meet of this party.
State working president of the Congress Shahzada Anwar today reached Daltonganj to take stock of the preparations for the March 12 meeting here in Daltonganj.
He was accompanied by the district president Jayesh Ranjan Pathak alias Bittu Pathak and others.
Speaking to the media persons, Anwar said, “We have been directed by our Jharkhand Congress party in-charge Avinash Pandey to hold divisional meet and so far we have done it at three places. State president Rajesh Thakur is monitoring the event.”
Anwar said it is all an exercise to consolidate and expand our party base up to the grass-root level.
“There are 6 agendas where we are brainstorming it,” he said. One of the six agendas is the issue of displacement and rehabilitation. Migration and job avenues too figure most,” he added.
A Congressman refusing to be identified said, “What if on March 10 our party fails to live up to our expectations then how can we be in a position to ask our partymen and cadres to toil for the Congress.”
Anwar looked tough when he said that the party has a very clear stand on the language issue and treats it as a very sensitive issue. He said this government will have to respect the sentiments of the common people.
He was asked why Congress MLAs like Irfan Ansari, Bandhu Tirkey and Pradeep Yadav are giving tough moments to their own government by launching such an attack on the government which usually the opposition party does. Anwar tried to explain but sensing more questions coming towards him said let these queries be posted for our big leaders expected to be here in Daltonganj on March 12.
He said that the three days ‘Chintan Shivir’ at Madhuban has energised all of them.
At this Chintan Shivir, the Health Minister Banna Gupta had taken open shots at the JMM-led government even saying that it is the JMM that is all out to contain or reduce the Congress to a non-significant state player here in Jharkhand.
All eyes are now on the district president Bittu Pathak for the take-off of the divisional meet of the Congress. Party sources said it will be interesting to see how many old Congress veterans attend this meeting.
The Congress has failed to open its poll account in the 5 assembly seats Palamu. The BJP bagged 4 and NCP 1.
There are in all 9 assembly seats in the Palamu division where barring Manika MLA Ramchander Singh of the Congress the party stands flattened in the remaining 8 assembly seats in this Palamu division.
