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APCC revamp runs into rough weather

By Spl Correspondent

NEW DELHI, July 29 � The long-pending restructuring of the Assam PCC has run into uncertainty, following differences between Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and PCC president Bhubaneswar Kalita.

While Kalita has announced his decision not to disturb the current team of office bearers and PCC, the Chief Minister wants new faces in the organisational set-up.

Arguing his case, the PCC president told this newspaper that he wants that the team responsible for the party�s victory for the third consecutive term should continue. This is in keeping with the same principle that was adopted in the selection of the Council of Ministers, he said.

Kalita has in fact already announced his decision to retain the old team of office bearers and PCC executive at the first meeting held at Guwahati recently.

�What I intend to do is to include 15-20 members in the PCC after the Chief Minister appoints the parliamentary secretaries. The new faces would include few young dynamic MLAs, whose services would be utilised for party work,� he said.

The PCC president�s decision came as a surprise for the partymen, as they were eagerly awaiting a change in the party�s organisational structure. The party has several important committees including the State disciplinary action, election and executive committees, besides team of office bearers.

However, Kalita�s plan might come to a naught, as the Chief Minister is opposed to it and has asked the PCC president to dissolve the existing committees and appoint a team of office bearers, a senior Congress leader confided.

The Chief Minister conveyed his suggestion to the PCC president recently, when the two met. Sources close to Gogoi�s camp said that the Chief Minister is expected to hold consultations with the AICC general secretary in-charge for Assam Digvijay Singh, after his return from abroad and prepare the ground for appointment of a new team of office bearers.

Sources further said a delegation of State Congressmen including a few senior leaders are scheduled to come to Delhi during the ensuing Monsoon Session of the Parliament to meet Congress president, Sonia Gandhi to apprise her of the moribund state of the party because of purported inaction on part of the PCC president and growing frustration among party workers, said sources.

The differences between the Chief Minister and Kalita might reopen the old tussle over the selection of the PCC president. While Gogoi had favoured Dr Bhumidhar Barman as the PCC president, Kalita managed to retain the post and got elected for the second term.

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