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Many seniors stay away as new UPCC president,his team take charge
Former UPCC president Salman Khursheed, outgoing UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, former union minister Pradeep Jain ‘Aditya’ and former MP PL Punia were among those who attended the special programme. Those who were conspicuous by their absence included former UPCC presidents Nirmal Khatri, Raj Babbar and former MP Rajesh Mishra .
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee’s (UPCC) new president Brijlal Khabri, a Dalit, assumed charge along with his team of six zonal presidents amid an obvious anguish among a section of party leaders over what is being called the domination of former BSP leaders in the party’s new set-up.
Besides Khabri, who joined the Congress leaving the BSP in 2016, five of the six zonal presidents have remained associated with the BSP one way or the other. So, the anguish among the party’s old timers is obvious.
Khabri in his maiden speech declared he and his team would work hard to strengthen the party and face all the challenges. “We will work day and night. We will face all the challenges, be it tomorrow, 2024 or the challenge of fighting the government. We will always be keen to face the challenges,” he said while addressing the party men at the special programme organized at the UPCC headquarters to mark the ‘Pad Grahan Samaroh’ (investiture ) of the new appointees.
Former UPCC president Salman Khursheed, outgoing UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, former union minister Pradeep Jain ‘Aditya’ and former MP PL Punia were among those who attended the special programme. Those who were conspicuous by their absence included former UPCC presidents Nirmal Khatri, Raj Babbar and former MP Rajesh Mishra whose name was doing the rounds for appointment as the new UPCC president. Khatri, Babbar and Mishra remained unavailable for comments.
“A large chunk of party’s senior leaders, including former MPs, former MLAs and former MLCs preferred to keep away for obvious reasons,” said a party leader.
Khabri said he belonged to a middle class Dalit family in Khabri village of Jalaun. He thanked Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for his appointment as the UPCC president and said, “This is not because of me or you. If anyone has contributed to this (appointment as UPCC president) it has to be ‘didi’ Priyanka Gandhi… You will always see me standing behind Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi.”
Justifying his appointment Khabri said the future would make the people realize that this decision was right. He said he was accorded a grand welcome on way to the UPCC headquarters. “This welcome has not been accorded to Brijlal Khabri. This indicates that the party men have welcomed the decision of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra…. Didi has shown confidence in me and my team. We will not allow didi’s dream to get shattered,” he said.
Referring to the Congress’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanya Kumari to Kashmir, he said by leading the yatra, party leader Rahul Gandhi had shown he was a true fighter. “This is not a yatra. This is a resolve for uplift of downtrodden classes and to draw attention towards rising unemployment and inflation. This yatra is to unite India and has shown Rahul Gandhi is India and India is Rahul Gandhi.”
Khabri did not forget to refer to his predecessor Ajay Kumar Lallu’s contribution in strengthening the party, saying Lallu did his best to take the Congress ahead. “I will take the party forward from where Lallu has left,” he said.
It may be mentioned that a section of party’s veterans had maintained a distance from Lallu and instead of taking them into confidence, the party decided to expel them.
Lallu used the programme, at the end, to urge the delegates to support candidate for party president’s post Mallikarjun Khadge.
