SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Jan 19: Firebrand Congress leader of Jharkhand Chandrashekhar Dubey alias Dadai Dubey has kept the party high command on tenterhooks over the INTUC unification issue.
Former national president of the party Sonia Gandhi had on December 20 recognised G Sanjeeva Reddy’s faction as real INTUC and at the same time directed the former minister Chandrashekhar Dubey to withdraw all cases pending in different courts of the country immediately.
However, even after one month after Sonia Gandhi’s directive, Chandrashekhar Dubey has neither initiated steps for withdrawing the cases nor opened his card over his next move over relinquishing his claim on INTUC.
Both factions are tight-lipped over the decision of Sonia Gandhi on INTUC. A senior leader of Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Union said that Dubey has no option now. Either withdraw all cases on INTUC or face a kick out from the party.
Unification of INTUC has become necessary for Cong Party as due to pending cases in courts, Coal India Limited (CIL) has debarred it from JBCCI to decide the 11th NCW.
Moreover, in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the Party had to suffer due to a war between former MP Chandrashekhar Dubey and G Sanjeeva Reddy.
However, this is the second time Sonia Gandhi has sent a directive to withdraw cases. On April 4, 2022, the then Cong general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal had on April 4, on behalf of Sonia Gandhi (the then party president) directed both G Sanjeeva Reddy and Chandrashekhar Dubey to withdraw their cases from courts over INTUC by April 30. But no faction withdrew.
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Earlier in 2021, Sonia Gandhi had formed two members committee comprising former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Digvijay Singh and MP Mallikarjun Kharge of Karnataka (now national president) to hold meetings with both the factions and submit report.
Both senior leaders reportedly held four meetings with Dubey and Reddy factions and submitted reports to Sonia Gandhi.
Notably in February 2022 while talking with media persons at the Dhanbad circuit, the house had rejected Mallikarjun Kharge and Digvijay Singh’s committee alleging that they had shown a soft corner with his rival faction (Sanjeeva Reddy).
However, the situation has changed in one year. Kharge has become the national president of the party and Chandrashekhar Dubey is struggling for a Lok Sabha ticket which he was denied in 2019. Dhanbad seat is considered a reserved seat for a trade union leader in Congress Party but in 2019 ticket was given to Kirti Azad (former BJP MP of Darbhanga) in place of Chandrashekhar Dubey from Dhanbad.
Former minister and veteran trade union leader Chandrashekhar Dubey is a five-time former MLA (since 1985) and one-time MP (Dhanbad 2004). He is considered a firebrand leader of the party and stronghold in Dhanbad, Bokaro.
One of his supporters in Dhanbad told him he (Dubey) is made of a different metal that can break but would not bend over wrong matter.
“In 2013, he resigned from the ministry but did not compromise with his principle,” said the supporter.
