News Analysis India

Tag: Harish Choudhary

  • Harish Choudhary is Punjab in-charge

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI/DEHRADUN : The Congress has appointed Harish Choudhary as the new in-charge of the All India Congress Committee in Punjab in place of Harish Rawat, who had sought to relieve himself of the charge a few days ago.

    Choudhary is the Revenue Minister in the Congress government in Rajasthan. The party is considering Rawat’s request to be posted in Uttarakhand. Choudhary, said to be a troubleshooter in the Rajasthan Congress, is expected to sort things out in Punjab after the removal of Amarinder Singh. Infighting has intensified in Punjab between new Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

    Meanwhile, party leaders said that Harish Rawat wanted to consolidate his position in Uttarakhand. “Rawat will continue to be a CWC member. His presence is required in UP and Uttarakhand where polls are due next year,” said a senior party leader.

    The Congress veteran had requested the party leadership on October 20 to relieve him so that he can focus on Uttarakhand where rain-related disasters has affected people. Rawat travelled to disaster hit Nainital district. He also alleged that there has been no relief work by the BJP government.

    “The state government must declare the Nainital district disaster hit and work towards relief accordingly. There has been no proper relief work by the government,” said Rawat.  “We are giving 10 days to the Uttarakhand government and if there is no proper relief work initiated, we will go for hunger strike and then protests.”

    Sonia’s strategy meet on Oct 26New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi will chair a meeting of party general secretaries, state in-charges and leaders on October 26 to discuss strategies for membership drive, agitation related activities and upcoming assembly election. The meeting has been scheduled ahead of party’s plan to launch a massive membership drive from November 4. The party will also kick off a sustained agitation programme from November 19 to take on the BJP government on issues of inflation, farmer agitation and monetisation policy. Sources said that the meeting will discuss a roadmap of activities and strategies to be undertaken and for the assembly elections. 

  • No leadership change in Rajasthan, Gehlot has MLAs’ support: Congress leader

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Ruling out the possibility of leadership change in Rajasthan like Punjab, Congress leader Harish Choudhary on Monday said that majority of the MLAs are with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

    Choudhary, who is the Rajasthan revenue minister and was appointed observer along with Ajay Maken to handle the crisis in the Punjab Congress, also asserted that the leadership change there was done in a democratic manner.

    “More than 100 MLAs of Rajasthan are with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Therefore, there cannot be, in any way, correlation between the two (states),” Choudhary told reporters here, while replying to queries.

    He said he does not see “any camp” in Rajasthan though there can be differences of opinion among the leaders.

    Choudhary said that his role in Punjab was limited.

    Congress veteran Amarinder Singh was replaced by Dalit leader Charanjit Singh Channi as chief minister following a bitter factional fighting in the state unit.

    “It happened in a democratic manner. Punjab MLAs wanted a change in leadership. The party high command allowed this and a proposal was passed in the Congress Legislature Party meeting,” Choudhary said.

    On former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot’s recent meetings with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, he said that Pilot is a member of the Congress family and meeting Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi is natural About the possibility of cabinet reshuffle in Rajasthan, he said that it is the prerogative of the chief minister.

    Gehlot had last year survived an open revolt by Pilot whose camp is seen to have become active again in recent months.