Even as the Congress prepares for the organisational polls in Bihar after the party’s decisive rout in the state’s Assembly polls, fresh hostilities have broken out to bedevil one of the most struggling state units of the national party ruling at the Centre.
In an unforeseen event, Bihar Congress president Mehboob Ali Kaiser on Monday issued a notice asking the state unit’s chief spokesman and media committee chairman, Premchand Mishra, to stop functioning in his post till the arrival of a disciplinary committee’s report. Mishra was reportedly accused of anti-party activities due to his recent statements in the media.
Terming Mr Kaiser’s notice “unfortunate,” a combative Mishra said: “I will abide by the order of the state unit chief, but since I was appointed by the AICC with the approval of party chief Sonia Gandhi, I will bring the details of the present circumstances leading to the present situation to the AICC’s notice”. He said Mr Kaiser’s order reeked of a conspiracy and raised a possibility that “some elements in the party have filled his (Mr Kaiser’s) ears”.
The latest frictions are said to have arisen from AICC secretary Sagar Raika’s reported order last month seeking the dissolution of all committees of the state Congress formed during Mr Kaiser’s term. While that order is yet to be acted upon, Mr Mishra’s recent statements raised Mr Kaiser’s heckles, said party sources.
“If action has to be taken by the party, it has to be taken against all those leaders who damaged the party’s image by indulging in open anti-party activities in the past three months, from publicly protesting the ticket allocations to disobeying AICC decisions,” said Mr Mishra, who has been the most vigorous Congress voice in Bihar’s media debates in recent months.
Sources said the Congress in Bihar is still riddled with several rival factions and Mr Kaiser’s leadership has failed to bring these factions on to a common platform to take the party’s programmes forward. “Greater monitoring of the Bihar Congress affairs by the central leadership can only bring about any real positive changes,” said a senior leader.