Double standards of Uttarakhand Congress on indiscipline exposed as three expelled leaders plan to take the fight to central leadership

Double standards of Uttarakhand Congress on indiscipline exposed as three expelled leaders plan to take the fight to central leadership

B.D.Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, July 6

The much flaunted ‘Parivartan yatra’ launched by Uttarakhand Congress ahead of the crucial state assembly elections scheduled in early next year, has failed to unite the warring leaders and factions and it got further derailed as seen in the development during Pithoragarh leg of the ‘Yatra’ headed by state Congress Chief Ganesh Godiyal. The factionalism rules the roost in the oldest party in Uttarakhand.

The Uttarakhand Congress party leadership has become totally ineffective and failed to bring truce amongst faction ridden party even at the district level. The rivalry between factions came to the fore during a party meeting attended by state Congress Chief Ganesh Godiyal in Pithoragarh last week. However, the party has failed to sort out the gross indiscipline created by the sitting party legislator Mayukh Singh Mahar during the last year civic elections.

Openly going against the party mandate he not only put up one of his relative as a Mayor Candidate from Pithoragarh but aggressively campaign against his own Congress party leading to the defeat of the party candidate.

Interestingly, being a strongman, the party leadership both at the state and the central level failed to take any action against him fuelling resentment against party cadres and workers. The inaction of the party leadership further emboldened the local legislator and his faction.

During the meeting last week, three leaders namely Bhawna Nagarkoti, the party candidate for the Mayoral elections, Mahender Lunthi, former district Congress Chief and Deepu Lunthi raised the issue of civic elections and the role of the local party legislator. Annoyed with the exposure, Mayukh Singh Mahar walked out of the meeting despite efforts by Ganesh Godiyal to pacify him. Angry with the going ons’, he got all the three leaders expelled from the primary membership of the party for six years for indiscipline and anti-party activities.

Most interestingly, the party chief has failed to exp-lain that what action he had taken against the party legislator who openly challenged the party leadership and candidate in the civic polls. Instead three senior leaders who questioned him were thrown out.

These three expelled leaders plan to meet KC Venugopal, party national general secretary ( organisation) on July 10,  in Dehradun and  present their point of view before him.

Mahendra Lunthi, former DCC president and a senior leader, who was expelled by party on July 5, action has said that it has all been done under a conspiracy to keep the active congressmen out from day to day working g of the party.

“The matter would have at first be given to the chairperson of discipline committee in state Congress. “We will meet state party incharge Shaileja and Venugopal ji in Dehradun and will convey our point of view informing them that the real discipline was broken by those who worked against the party candidate in civic elections last year. “This conspiracy would be taken up to high command if we will not get justice from state leadership, “said Mahendra Lunthi.

Deepu Lunthi, one of the expelled congress and former PCC member after been expelled from Congress party with 2 other leaders,  said that the party leadership has practiced double standards in the act of expelling three senior leaders of party. “Whereas the disciplinary actions, would have been taken against, Mayukh Singh Mahar, the party MLA who has worked against party norms and got the party defeated in Local body election last year, the action was taken against those who were expressing their views on weaknesses of party, “said Deepak Lunthi.

Bhawna Nagarkoti, another senior woman leader in Pithoragarh congress expelled from Congress, meanwhile released a video in social Media and said that none can expel  her from party as she belongs to a freedom fighters’ family and have Gandhian traditions and Nehru legacy in her blood and heart. “My leaders are Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi and my icons are Gandhi and Nehru and nobody can take it from me,” said Bhawana. ” We have not indulged in indiscipline as it was a party meeting and as party workers we have right to raise pertinent issues in the interest of Congress party,” she added.