Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Senior Congress leaders gave a miss to the first meeting of the party political affair committee (PAC), held here at PCC, on Thursday. A senior party leader clarified that a few PAC members could not attend the meeting because of the wedding season and prior commitments. The PAC met at the party headquarters and deliberated upon the strategies to be chalked out to corner the Mohan Yadav-led BJP government in the state.

Party national General Secretary Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, who is in-charge of the party in state and state party president Jitu Patwari chaired the meeting. Two former chief ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh are members of the 25-member PAC but both did not attend its first meeting. Besides, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar, Ajay Singh Rahul, Arun Yadav, Nakul Nath, Kamleshwar Patel, Phool Singh Bariya, Bala Bachchan, Shobha Ojha, Arif Masood, Tarun Bhanot, Satyapal Singh Sikarwar (Neetu) and many other leaders also failed to attend the meeting.

Those present in the meeting included former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria, Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha, state Congress treasurer and Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Singh, former ministers Sajjan Singh Verma, N P Prajapati, Vijaylakshmi Sadho and several other leaders. Addressing the committee members, Singh said "We have prepared a roadmap to run the committee and to strengthen the party's position at the grassroots level. Individual members of the committees will be assigned a specific role to play”.  

Remote control-free PCC Talking to media persons, Party national General Secretary Bhanwar Jitendra Singh said that unlike BJP, the Congress state unit has been given a free hand in running the organization. “I don’t want MP PCC to be remote-controlled from Delhi as it is being done by the BJP. I want the PCC members to run the committee. The BJP in the state is being remote-controlled by leaders sitting in Delhi”.

Talking about party leaders skipping the meeting, Singh clarified that being the season of weddings, many (leaders) are busy attending these receptions and many are having their own assignments, the leaders have shared their suggestions on social media and they had informed me about their absence in the meeting”.

Patwari gets emotional

Addressing the meeting PCC president Jitu Patwari got emotional and teary-eyed while requesting senior leaders to help and support the newly formed committee.  Later talking to media persons, the party leader Sajjan Singh Verma also confirmed about Patwari getting emotional during the meeting.  

Congress Plans Convention Next Year

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The meetings of the State Executive Committee, Permanent Invitees and Special Invitees, Congress leaders planned to organise party members’ convention between February 20 to March 20 next year, party leaders said here on Thursday. The meetings were held in two shifts.

In the meetings, brainstorming for strengthening the party organisation from booth, mandal, sector, block to district and state level was done by the leaders. It was decided to form Ward Congress Committee in all urban body areas, then Mohalla Committees.

It is also planned to form Committee at every Gram Panchayat level. Discussions were made on the duration of the tenure of presidents of Block Congress Committees and District Congress Committees and also filling of vacant posts of PCC and AICC delegates.