From C K Nayak
NEW DELHI: Congress president, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday constituted the much awaited Congress Working Committee, with a blend of young and old leaders, but ignored the entire Northeast with only former Assam chief minister, Tarun Gogoi and his MP son, Gaurav, finding a place.
There would be none others from Northeast barring Mahila Congess president Sushmita Dev, but that would be ex officio since she is its president.
Its first meeting will be held on July 22.
In view of the losing all states in Northeast, barring Mizoram, it was expected that leaders from this region would find place in the reconstituted CWC, the highest decision-making body of Congress.
The new CWC includes 23 members, 19 permanent invitees and nine special invitees, according to the AICC release.
Independent in-charges appointed for various states will be among the permanent invitees to the working committee as ex-officio members, while the heads of five frontal organisations of the party – INTUC, Sewa Dal, Youth Congress, Mahila Congress and NSUI – will be part of the special invitees.
This the first CWC formed by the Congress chief after assuming charge of the party.
The July 22 meeting will be of an ‘extended working committee’ as Gandhi has also invited all state unit presidents and Congress Legislative Party leaders from states.
The committee was dissolved prior to the election of the Congress president and the earlier panel was transformed into a steering committee till the party’s plenary session that concluded in March.
The CWC, which acts as an advisory panel on all key decisions of the party, was not in place since the plenary session in March. Incidentally, Rahul has also cut to size non-performing C P Joshi by dropping him from the post of in-charge of Assam.
He may be replaced from holding charges of other states including Meghalaya soon, sources said.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister, Harish Rawat will be the new general secretary in-charge of Assam in place of Joshi.