NEW DELHI, June 19 � The All India Congress Committee (AICC) is still trying to amicably resolve the political crises in Assam, Maharashtra and Haryana.
In an exclusive briefing here today, a senior AICC leader said that the AICC is also exploring the possibility of changing the Chief Ministers of these three States. When asked about the possibility of the Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi being replaced, he admitted that there was a 50-50 chance.
Meanwhile, the AICC has convened a meeting on June 23 to review the Congress party�s disappointing performance in the parliamentary elections in Assam.
The meeting is scheduled to be attended by Chief Minister Gogoi, PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita, AICC general secretary in-charge for Assam C P Joshi, AICC secretary Mukul Wasnik, besides the State�s three Lok Sabha Congress MPs.
The intimation about the meeting was given today, confirmed Kalita, adding that the review meeting may be chaired by vice-president Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress party�s performance in the last parliamentary election is likely to pass through close scrutiny, as its tally nosedived to three from seven, even through the Chief Minister was boasting of wresting over 10 seats. A few Congress MPs who lost the polls, however, expressed surprise that they have not been invited to the meeting to share their experience.
�We could have given valuable inputs to the Party High Command as to why the party fared so poorly,� said one such Congress candidate.
Meanwhile, the consultation process to resolve the political crisis in Assam continued, with Congress president Sonia Gandhi meeting Paban Singh Ghatowar. The former Union Minister incidentally had also met Tarun Gogoi early this week.
Declining to divulge the details about his meeting with Gandhi, Ghatowar said that the current political crisis figured at the meeting and he has given his inputs to the Congress president. �All I can say is that I have urged the Party High Command to end the crisis without any further delay,� he disclosed.
He further added that he has also discussed the political turmoil with Gogoi and shared his views. It appears that the Chief Minister is waiting for further instructions from AICC High Command on tackling the crisis, he said.
Ghatowar said that he was unaware about the options being considered by the AICC to contain the dissidence in the party.
Meanwhile, a senior leader of the dissident group told this newspaper over telephone that contrary to reports, they are not interested in the post of Deputy Chief Minister or ministerial berths.
�We are now waiting for the AICC Observers to convey our views and await their decision,� he said.
This newspaper has been reporting that the AICC is considering a reshuffle of the Gogoi ministry as an option to end the crisis. The strategy they are working on is to give equal representation to both the camps.
