Ouster spells trouble for Cong elsewhere

NEW DELHI, DEC 6: The Congress may have managed to dump Orissa Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang and replace him with another tribal leader, ...

NEW DELHI, DEC 6: The Congress may have managed to dump Orissa Chief Minister Giridhar Gamang and replace him with another tribal leader, Hemananda Biswal, but the entire oust-Gamang exercise has not been well-received among party circles here.

Party sources here say that while the AICC team may have completed its assigned task of replacing Gamang, the task ahead for Biswal will be far from easy, faced as he will be faced with the same kind of dissidence from rival groups as was his predecessor. There is also the problem of finding a new PCC chief for the state, that too just a few months before the Assembly elections.

Senior leaders here apprehend that giving in to dissidents8217; demands in Orissa may set off a chain reaction in other Congress-ruled states where factional fighting and demands for change of leadership have been dogging the party ever since the Lok Sabha elections.

Dissidence has been running high in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where the party performed miserably in the Lok Sabhapolls. While party president Sonia Gandhi may not be in a hurry to give in to the dissidents8217; demands because elections in these states are a long way off, the likely spurt in their activities will not only be a cause for embarrassment but will also undermine the party high command8217;s authority.

The question now doing the rounds in party circles is which state would be next to fall prey to dissident activity. There is also a viewpoint that dissidents in other states were waiting for the outcome of developments in Orissa before planning their next move and that Delhi where a large chunk of MLAs have been demanding incumbent Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit8217;s removal could spell trouble for the party in the coming months.

While the A.K. Antony introspection committee has indicated that a firm stand should be taken against dissidence and indiscipline within the party since this was one of the reasons for its poor performance developments in Orissa have only shown that the high command is still confused overwhat signals to send to its state units.

The ostensible reason for Gamang8217;s ouster was his ineffectiveness in handling the post-cyclone relief operations in the state.

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But the prolonged confusion over his replacement, with different dissident groups openly staking their claim, suggests that his removal may have been more the outcome of active lobbying against him within the high command.The choice of PCC chief Hemananda Biswal, all along a dark horse, as the consensus choice for the top post is due to the fact that he, like Gamang, is a tribal and as such his appointment will assuage the state8217;s large tribal constituency. It will also pre-empt Gamang from playing the tribal card if he intends to do so.

But by installing a man who was defeated in the recent Lok Sabha elections by a huge margin, the party has chosen to send the wrong signals in the state.

Its anybody8217;s guess whether Biswal, who ironically was made CM by Rajiv Gandhi some 10 years ago, to lead the party to the Assembly polls in 1990when the party lost badly, will be able to turn the party8217;s fortunes this time round. Assembly elections in the state are due in March next year.