Cong rejigs spokespersons list,inducts five new faces

The appointment of Mohan Prakash,AICC in-charge of Jamp;K,Maharashtra and Gujarat,and Shakeel Ahmed,AICC in-charge of West Bengal and Jharkhand,as spokespersons came as a surprise as state in-charges are not made spokespersons. This led to speculation about the likelihood of these two leaders being divested of their charges.

Congress sources said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is likely to restructure the organisation and retain only AICC general secretaries with charge of several states under whom there would be AICC secretaries in charge of states. While the move is meant to empower the secretaries,it would put an end to the practice of independent in-charges of states,said sources.

Kalahandi MP Bhakta Charan Dass elevation has been in the offing since he got Rahul Gandhi to make a tour of Niyamgiri Hills,which led to the stalling of Vedantas bauxite mining project. The Congress vice-president has been holding regular interactions with Das over the partys strategy vis-à-vis tribals.

Incidentally,the new panel of spokespersons includes those from whose comments the party has often been distancing itself from Chackos remarks about Rahuls prime ministerial candidature to Renuka Chowdhurys remarks about Rahul not being a tota parrot.

During his last stint as spokesperson,Mohan Prakash had created a flutter in the party comparing Rahul with Jaiprakash Narayan.