SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov. 11: While Congress’s National President Sonia Gandhi has set up a committee to resolve the crisis in the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), the organization is again on a verge of a split in Jharkhand as one of its factions has called for a meeting in Dhanbad on Saturday.
The Lalan Choubey faction, which is reportedly supported by Jharkhand INTUC president Rakeswar Pandey (Jamshedpur), has called a meeting on November 13 at Katras Club Dhanbad over the coal industry issue.
Rashtriya Colliery Mazdoor Sangh (RCMS) and Rashtriya Khan Mazdoor Federation (RKMF), the major constituent units of INTUC, have called the meeting illegal, unconstitutional and against the tradition of the organization.
RCMS general secretary AK Jha, who is also the vice president of Jharkhand INTUC, said that as per tradition of the organisation, any meeting on the coal sector could be called only with the consent of RCMS and RKMF. Jaymangal Singh (MLA) is the president of RCMS and RKMF but his permission has not been taken. Jharkhand INTUC president should have discussed with RCMS president before deciding to call a meeting on the coal sector.
At present, the INTUC is divided into two factions, one led by Jaymangal Singh who is the son of late Rajendra Prasad Singh, while another by former minister Chandrashekhar Dubey. Congress leaders in Jharkhand blame that the factional feud in INTUC has weakened the party.
Keeping this in mind, Sonia Gandhi had set up a two-member committee comprising former minister Mallikarjun Kharge and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh to solve the INTUC crisis. The committee has already held two meetings with both the factions so far.
“But for creating confusion, a meeting has been called in Dhanbad on November 13 by a third faction to stake a claim,” said AK Jha.
The RCMS general secretary said that he has talked to the INTUC president Rakeswar Pandey and Raghunath Pandey about the scheduled meeting and both are against it.
“Since the meeting is creating a state of confusion among rank and file in the organization, in such a situation if any leader participates in the meeting then disciplinary actions will be taken against him,” added Jha.
