No leadership change in state Congress till 2013 polls

Hariprasada says Patel, Choubey to lead next Assembly elections

Hints change in party’s lower cadre

Raipur, August 23, 2012

Rubbishing all rumours regarding leadership change in state Congress, the AICC general secretary and party’s state unit incharge BK Hariprasada has said that PCC president Nandkumar Patel and CLP leader Ravindra Choubey will remain intact till 2013 Assembly polls. “Both Patel and Choubey will lead the party in next Vidhan Sabha elections,” said Hariprasada assertively while talking to media at New Circuit House on Thursday evening after attending party’s workers’ training camps at Kanker and Farasgaon.

He, however, hinted that there could be changes in the party’s lower cadre - precisely the performance of DCC and BCC presidents is being examined critically.

He held the BJP hands responsible behind ‘PCC leadership change rumours’. His backing to Patel and Choubey came as major relief to the organisation which was befuddled with the rumours and Delhi-visit of too many senior party leaders from different factions in recent past.

Hariprasada claimed that the party had succeeded in infusing new energy in the workers from state to booth-level.  He informed that the Assembly-level workers’ training camp which commenced on August 7 would conclude by December 2012.

On controversial letter being circulated in party he again blamed BJP and said the members of ruling party want to debilitate the opposition. Asked whether it was a mischief of any party insider, he expressed his ignorance and said he would surely order probe if information in that regard would be provided.

On coal blocks allocation he said the Centre did it on recommendations of the state government. He reiterated that Chief Minister Raman Singh had strongly opposed auction of coal blocks.

When cited the CM’s statement in which he said ‘he did not know many individuals/companies whom coal blocks had been allocated’, Hariprasada admitted of such possibility and said ‘then Singh would have been opposing because the Centre declined some of the private companies recommended by him’.

“The Congress wants to hold debate on coal blocks allocation in Parliament and if the BJP would continue its ‘session-obstructive tactics’ then we will frame fresh strategy to deal the situation,” he said.

On illegal mining in Bellary (Karnataka) he said if calculated the corruption there would surpass all the scams. He indicated that the mining baron Janardan Reddy was in jail for past one and a half years in Bellary illegal mining case.

When sought his take over PA Sangma’s decision to constitute new political party, Hariprasada said the idea clicked very late in the tribal leader’s mind, in fact after taking various benefits in Congress for about 30-40 years.