Revolt in Gujarat, Karnataka PCCs

In Gujarat, a letter to this effect was sent by the leader of the group Chhabildas Mehta to Pradesh Congress chief Prabodh Raval. When contacted, Raval told newsmen that he had received the letter from Mehta and discussed the matter with Pradesh Returning Officer Narayanswami who is presently in Delhi.

Raval said that he did not visualise any split in the party. He said that the returning officer has the authority to decide before the organisational election was completed and added that it was an internal matter of the party. He declined to make any further comment in this regard.

Earlier, a meeting of the erstwhile JD (Gujarat) leaders was held at the residence of Chhabildas Mehta which was attended by Urmilaben Patel, Narhari Amin and others.

Former deputy chief minister Narhari Amin told reporters at the State Congress headquarters this evening that since JD (Gujarat) group was being ignored and a “step-motherly” treatment was being given to it, it was decided at the meeting that all pradesh delegates of the group should resign as a mark of protest.

To a question, Amin however said that all JD (Gujarat) members would continue to work in the Congress and will remain loyal to the organisation. There are in all 36 pradesh delegates belonging to the group.

BANGALORE: At a hurriedly convened press conference here on Monday, former Union minister Rajashekara Murthy, who is presently a Rajya Sabha member, said that fresh elections should be held under the supervision of a committee. The ongoing election process, Murthy said “seems to have been chalked out by some persons who are in command and are keen on hijacking the party from top to bottom.” The method adopted to finalise the list of PCC members “is a fraud on the constitution of the party and on democratic principles.”

Murthy said that the list of names was manipulated by the party’s Central observer along with the party returning officer and the president of the party’s State unit at a five-star hotel on Sunday. “The party returning officer is in league with KPCC leaders. The Central observer acted as an agent for some of the candidates,” he alleged.

In the list finalised yesterday, “anti-social elements, goondas, criminals, smugglers and black-marketeers have found a place,” Murthy said and added: “You cannot expect honest and sincere work from these people.”

Unless discipline was enforced in the Congress, it would be impossible to build the party on sound lines.