Dissent within Cong units in Bihar, K’taka

NEW DELHI: After Manipur, the Congress is now facing rising dissent in Bihar and Karnataka over the delay in the implementation of the ‘one man-one post’ norm that party leaders say impedes the strengthening of the organisation in these two states.

In Bihar, state Congress president Ashok Chowdhary is also the education minister and Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara also heads the party’s state unit.

Leaders from both states have urged the central leadership to divest Chowdhary and Parameshwara of organisational responsibilities, arguing they are not able to devote time to the party as a result of which its function- ing is affected. “This impedes the strengthening of the party organisation,” a Bihar Congress leader said. The norm was incorporated in Congress at the party’s Surajkund session in 1994. However, an amendment was later brought to keep the Congress president out of its ambit. A Congress panel, headed by veteran leader AK Antony, had recommended in 2008 that Union ministers should not be given organisational responsibilities.

In January 2013, senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad once again mooted the proposal during a party conclave. He said ministers holding dual charge, both at Centre and in states, should be divested of organisational duties a year before elections to enable them to focus on their departments. Azad proposed office-bearers should not be inducted in central or state governments so that they can devote enough time to organisational affairs.

In Manipur, the rebels had raised a banner of revolt against CM Okram Ibobi Singh and threatened to topple the government if their demand for removal of state party chief Gaikhangam under the ‘one man-one post’ formula was not met. Congress high command moved to avoid a repeat of the Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand episodes by replacing Gaikhangam, also the deputy CM, with senior leader TN Haokip as party chief.