For poll rally, Cong to present united front

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 14

Amid intensified infighting among warring factions, the Congress high command has directed all senior leaders to present a united face during the February 17 rally to formally kick-start the campaign for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Senior leaders, owing allegiance to different factions of the party, have been directed to ensure maximum participation to make the rally a “big show”. As the arch-rival BJP is going to organise a rally of party president Amit Shah on February 24, the Congress is leaving no stone unturned to make the February 17 function successful to mount pressure on the saffron party.

“We are going to formally launch the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections during the rally which would be addressed by senior leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad,” Pradesh Congress chief spokesman Ravinder Sharma told The Tribune. He said AICC general secretary in charge of J&K Ambika Soni is also likely to attend the event.

Infighting in the Congress has intensified after the formation of various panels for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in J&K. Annoyed over not giving full charge to Azad for electioneering, his loyalists have already passed a resolution urging the top brass to appoint him as the head of the election campaign. Congress president Rahul Gandhi had on February 7 appointed Pradesh Congress Committee chief GA Mir as the head of the campaign committee. Although Azad has already announced to disassociate himself from the campaign panels announced for J&K, a number of former ministers, former legislators and office-bearers passed a resolution on February 9 evening in support of Azad. Sources said Azad loyalists were annoyed over the violation of the protocol as Leader of Opposition’’s name was placed at the third number in the list of election panel headed by Mir.