Unrest in K’taka Youth Cong after new appointments
With organisational changes in Congress happening in bits and pieces, two recent appointments have caused heartburn among a section in the party. The appointment of former Karnataka minister Qamrul Islam as secretary in-charge of Kerala and Ruchi Gupta as joint secretary in-charge of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the students’ wing of the party, has not gone down well within the rank and file.
Islam, 69, is the oldest officebearer in the 48-member team of secretaries — generally drawn from the party’s lot of young leaders — after 64-year-old Deepak Babaria.
A six-time legislator, Islam was dropped from the Karnataka cabinet in June last year following differences with chief minister Siddaramaiah; Islam had blamed Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress leader in Lok Sabha, for his exit. While Kharge is a Lok Sabha member from the reserved constituency of Gulbarga, Islam represents Gulbarga North in the Karnataka assembly.
Congress sources said the popular Muslim leader was accommodated in the national team after he threatened to “create problems” for Kharge and the party in the Gulbarga belt. The Hyderabad-Karnataka region has a sizeable Muslim population. To buy peace with Islam, popularly known as Qamar Sab, the two arch rivals, Siddaramaiah and Kharge, persuaded the Congress leadership to “adjust” him in the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
In another move, the Congress leadership created a new post of joint secretary in AICC for Gupta, who has been given charge of NSUI. The Congress had abolished the post of joint secretary in 1998. Sources said Gupta has never been associated with the NSUI and her involvement with the Congress was till recently limited to assisting Scheduled Caste chairman K Raju in organisational work.
The appointments have created unrest within the Congress, especially among young aspiring members, who say that the AICC has become a “parking lot” for disgruntled leaders.
ISLAM, 69, IS THE OLDEST OFFICE BEARER IN THE 48MEMBER TEAM OF SECRETARIES GENERALLY DRAWN FROM THE PARTY’S LOT OF YOUNG LEADERS. AFTER 64YEAROLD DEEPAK BABARIA