Reconstituting the Chhattisgarh PCC for the first time after the Darbha Maoist attack,the Congress Saturday made sulking former CM Ajit Jogi a member of the coordination committee and appointed Kawasi Lakhma,the lone survivor MLA of the attack,as vice-president. With this,the Congress has made it clear that it attaches no significance to the conspiracy theory surrounding the involvement of Congressmen in the attack. Madhya Pradesh BJP chief Narendra Singh Tomar had alleged that Jogi was apparently part of the conspiracy behind the attack. Jogi has filed a defamation case against him. The appointment is being seen as a signal to Jogi,who had been upset since Charan Das Mahant was made acting state chief after Nand Kumar Patel was killed in the attack,that he will have a key role in running of the party. His son Amit was not given any post. Besides Jogi,Mahant,CLP leader Ravindra Choubey,AICC in charge of the state B K Hariprasad and senior leaders Motilal Vora and Bhatka Charan Das are members of the coordination committee. Besides making Mahant full-time president,the party has appointed 15 vice-presidents,including V C Shuklas daughter Pratibha Pandey,and 22 general secretaries,including Mahendra Karmas son Deepak Karma,Nand Kumar Patels son Umesh Patel and Uday Mudaliyars son Jitendra Mudaliyar.
