Delhi Cong’s clean slate: All 280 block committees dissolved by Dikshit

The new committee includes senior leaders Dr A K Walia, Mangat Ram Singhal, Jitender Kochar, Ramakant Goswami and the three working presidents — Haroon Yusuf, Rajesh Lilothia and Devender Yadav. Formed with an aim to appoint new block presidents, the committee will start its work on Monday. Lilothia submitted his resignation as a mark of protest against Rahul Gandhi’s resignation as Congress president.

“We were waiting for the meeting scheduled with Rahul Gandhi ji. It has been unanimously decided that the party will have to work in unity to ensure better results in the Assembly polls,” said a senior leader.

On Friday, Dikshit dissolved all 280 block Congress committees in Delhi “with immediate effect”. The decision was taken “keeping in line with the report submitted by the five-member fact-finding committee constituted for the Lok Sabha elections”.

“The idea is to prepare the party for the Assembly polls. Responsibilities will be fixed on certain leaders at the booth-level. The discussion to form the committee was held a few days ago. The goal is to unite the party for the polls,” Dr Walia told The Indian Express.

However, on June 11, the party had asked district and block committee presidents to submit a list of three names each, including that of a woman, from their respective areas for selection of Congress candidates for the Assembly elections. Till now, the unit has received 225 names.

“What was the point of asking for names if the plan was to dissolve block committees? Such activities leave a negative impression on workers who were enthused to participate actively in the Assembly polls,” a senior leader said.

Dikshit and six other candidates who fought the Lok Sabha polls met Rahul at his residence Friday morning. “The duty of these leaders will be to identify loopholes at the lowest level and amend them,” said a senior leader.

In the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress secured the second position, pushing AAP to the third spot. But since then, the party has been witnessing infighting with two groups emerging in support of Dikshit and AICC Delhi in-charge P C Chacko.