The duo of AICC general secretary and the MPCC president, who played a key role in the state politics, appears to have run into rough weather.
The state Congress’s Jodi Number One — All-India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Margaret Alva and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Prabha Rau — that played a key role in the state politics, appears to have run into rough weather.
Many senior partymen have expressed their dissatisfaction over Alva’s leadership style and complained to the party’s president Sonia Gandhi. Rau, too, is allegedly upset with Alva for unilaterally deciding to appoint six AICC officials to monitor and study the party’s strategy on the Zilla Parishad polls. During the parliamentary board meeting, Rau told senior officials that the Centre’s decision to appoint AICC officials meant loss of confidence in the MPCC president.
A Rau-aide said, “She was terribly upset and was on the verge of stepping down from her post, but we urged her not to take such a drastic step. She is concerned that their presence would set a wrong precedent.”
Rau is also worried that the Centre’s decision may boomerang as the officials do not understand the state’s grassroots politics. “Their involvement would complicate matters, encouraging State versus Centre divide among rank and file,” the aide added. Despite repeated attempts, Rau declined to comment, saying, “AICC officials are here to assist in the election process.”
Dismissing that there was growing discontent among party workers against her leadership, Alva ignored public protests in Konkan where Congress workers burnt her effigies. “Burning effigies or protests do not affect me,” she said. “I am here to do work assigned to me by Sonia Gandhi.”
Captain Sudhir Sawant is not the only party leader who is complaining against Alva, who allegedly called him “mad” during a recent meeting. Party officials recalled how she had insulted former MPCC chiefs, Govindrao Adhik and Ranjit Deshmukh. Workers rallying against Alva have also sent a memorandum to Gandhi, complaining that Alva operates only from Mumbai while ignoring the rest of the state.
“Post-civic polls, Alva had distanced herself from Rau when Gandhi accused the former for misleading her,” said a Congress leader. “Alva was also upset after the state unit issued reports against two of Rau’s close associates for mismanaging AB forms (candidate registration forms) and monetary transactions.”
Meanwhile, the AICC observers will monitor the March 11 elections to ensure that none of Rau’s second-rung associates are allowed to sign the AB forms. As a result, Rau was seen signing every AB form sanctioned to official Congress candidates on Tuesday.
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