Cong split wide open,separate delegations meet Governor

AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh,however,downplayed the issue by denying any rift between the two leaders. “As far as I know,there are no issues between them.”

As for the two leaders meeting the Governor separately,Singh said: “The issues that they raised must have been different.”

While Tiwari met the Governor with party MLA from Lucknow West Shyam Kishore Shukla shortly before noon,Joshi met the Governor later in the day along with parliamentarians Jagdambika Pal and Jafar Ali Naqvi.

Joshi raised four points in her memorandum —judicial inquiry into the lathicharge on the state employees,the state government should initiate talks with the state employees,ESMA should be removed and employees should be reinstated.

Tiwari said: “I am not aware about any other delegation visiting the Governor. All I know is that I had taken the Governor’s appointment a day before and met him in the morning before anyone else met him.”

Asked about the issues raised by him,Tiwari said: “I met the Governor as a tradition as he had addressed the House. Since employees were lathicharged outside the House while the session was on,I raised three issues with him as well.”

According to him,his delegation demanded judicial inquiry into the issue by a High Court judge,told the Governor that how the demands raised by the employees were genuine and also requested the Governor to intervene and ask for a dialogue between the state and the employees.

According to sources,the reason for the differences between the two senior leaders can be attributed to the joining of BSP leader Fareed Khan in Kaushambi on January 10 and the acceptance of Independent legislator Ajay Rai as an associated member of the CLP.

In both cases,the state party president had her reservations. Notwithstanding her reservations,Khan was taken in the party fold and Rai was called to CLP office in Vidhan Bhawan and made an associate member.

“We did not want them to be a part of the party because of their criminal background. Both have criminal cases against them,” said a senior leader defending Joshi.

Ishrat Azmi,president of district Congress committee of Kaushambi,said: “Some reservations were there from state headquarters regarding Khan’s joining. But then we took an affidavit from him in which he claimed that there are no cases against him. It is a close chapter now.”

Singh said: “Everyone’s consent was taken before accepting Rai as an associate member of the party. So no one should have any issues.”