No one in PPCC will enjoy absolute power: Congress
Friday, 30/10/2015
http://www.indiapress.org/gen/news.php/The_Tribune/
Chandigarh : The Congress high command will appoint the new president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) on its own terms and not let anyone enjoy absolute power.
Among the frontrunners for the post is Capt Amarinder Singh, Lok Sabha MP from Amritsar and former Chief Minister. Earlier, Ambika Soni and Lal Singh too were contenders.
Party insiders said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had made it clear that none would enjoy absolute power in the PPCC. A set of leaders would take decisions collectively to run the party.
Rahul is keen to give representation to all sections of the society, including Dalits, Baniyas, Ramgarhias, etc., in the party’s apex body. Apart from appointing the new PPCC president, Rahul is also keen on appointing two working presidents and campaign committee chairman.
Apart from this, a new leader of the Congress Legislature Party might also be named. In fact, these proposals had been discussed with Shakeel Ahmed, AICC general secretary and in charge of state party affairs.
Sources said about 12 MLAs had met Ahmed and given him an alternative proposal to make necessary reforms in the party in the state. Sources said Rahul had been warned against committing past blunders again. Rahul was asked to give due representation to all important communities such as Dalits, Ramgarhias and Baniyas in the apex body.
At one point of time, Dalits and Baniyas were the vote banks of the Congress in the state. But it is no longer so. The BJP increased its support in urban areas and the SAD wooed the Dalits in the last election. The challenge for the Congress is to win back the support of these communities.
In the last elections, the SAD’s move of giving tickets to baniya candidates in Malwa paid off.
