LUCKNOW, NOV 7: Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) chief Salman Khursheed and Chief Minister Kalyan Singh have a similar problem. Both their futures are uncertain at the moment due to the poor performance of their respective parties in he Lok Sabha elections.While Kalyan Singh has been facing an uncertain future for a long time and has weathered many storms to his chair since he assumed power on October 21, 1997, Khursheed, on the other hand, is facing a challenge to his chair for the first time since assuming the mantle of state Congress chief two years ago.Khursheed's detractors, who gave vent to their feelings in a function organised in the Capital on Friday, were emboldened when party chief Sonia Gandhi hinted at overhauling of the party committees in different states where the Congress could not come out with expected performance. Khursheed's critics lapped up the opportunity to fortify their fight and mobilise support from among the state cadre.``We want a Muslim leader not for namesakebut for delivering results,'' said a senior Congress leader during a function organised ostensibly to felicitate newly-elected MPs, but the main purpose was reportedly to swell the strength of Khursheed's detractors.Charges of bribery in distribution of tickets, nepotism and a listless party organisation which had resulted in the poor performance of the party were openly hurled in the Congress camp. ``Those levelling allegations of such a serious nature should come out with authentic proof. Such charges are only an attempt to malign the image of the party and I am surprised that all this happened in the presence of senior party leaders,'' said Khursheed in what was an indirect attack on his predecessor and party MP Jitendra Prasada, who was also present in the controversial function alongwith three more party MPs and Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwari.His detractors would have been silenced had Sonia not commented publicly during her two-day thanksgiving visit to Amethi that state unitsneeded to be toned up. ``We want a mass leader to resurrect the party and not one who remains in New Delhi most of the time,'' remarked a senior party leader on the frequency of Khursheed's visits to the Capital.But the malaise is deeper in the BJP. Even as all the senior leaders of the party have directly or indirectly commented that there was no move to replace Kalyan Singh, speculations over his removal have not yet ended. Political and government circles are in a state of inertia after the party's debacle in the state and reports that the party leadership was toying with the idea of replacing Kalyan.``There is no uncertainty about my future, but I would like to add that a review of reasons for the poor performance of the party should be held segment-wise with special emphasis on how the party lost at least eight seats surrounding the Prime Minister's constituency,'' Kalyan told newsmen.
