PPCC list held up, Rahul for greater Dalit representation
Saturday, 21/12/2013
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20131221/punjab.htm#9
New Delhi : The Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) list approved last week by the Congress high command has been held back for want of Dalit representation.
Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi has referred the list to the chief of the Congress’ Scheduled Caste panel to suggest changes as required.
Top sources in the Congress said Rahul wants the Dalits represented at every level of leadership in the state unit and the state committee, not just for Punjab but for all other states.
Admitting to have reviewed the list and made suggestions for due representation to the marginalised Dalit sections, K Raju, who heads the Congress’ SC panel, said: “Our endeavour is to ensure equal participation of all sections in the political decision-making process. The AICC vice-president has given us a clear mandate to find ways to achieve such representation. One way of doing so is to have Dalit representation in the state Congress committees at all levels of leadership, from vice-presidents and general secretaries to executive committee, in proportion to the SC population in that state.”
In Punjab, the Dalits comprise 35 per cent of the population, which is what the Congress seeks to achieve.
“The endeavour is to see if we can have 35 per cent Dalit leaders at all levels in the PPCC as also other state committees. It may be a difficult task to achieve, but it is not impossible,” said a Congress functionary. The overall representation of the Dalits in PCCs is not the only issue under discussion. Rahul has also asked the SC panel to see that all Dalit sub-castes are represented and the Dalit women given their due.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi had earlier approved the list of more than 260 PPCC members to accommodate the concerns of leaders of all factions, Punjab Congress head Partap Singh Bajwa, former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, senior leader Rajinder Bhattal and Congress Legislature Party Leader Sunil Jahkar.
The PPCC is due for constitution since March this year when Capt Amarinder Singh was replaced with party’s Gurdaspur Lok Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa as PPCC president.
