Amidst reports of a tussle between Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Chhattisgarh Congress president Mohan Markam, the All India Congress Committee Chhattisgarh in charge Kumari Selja on June 22 reversed some recent organisational appointments made by Mr. Markam.
Key among them was cancelling Mr. Markam’s decision to appoint Arun Sisodia – who hails from Bhilai and is close to the State president – as general secretary of the State unit. The decision was taken after a meeting at Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s residence, said sources.
“Earlier, there were two general secretaries. Mr. Ghosh was the general secretary (administration) and Amarjeet Chawla was the general secretary (organisation). Mr. Markam decided to replace both with Mr. Sisodia, which some party leaders objected to. Consequently, the decision was reversed and Mr. Ghosh was brought back as the single general secretary by Ms. Selja,” said a party source.
According to Mr. Markam’s letter dated June 16 and released to the media on June 21, Mr. Ghosh and Mr. Chawla were given charge of Bastar and Raipur regions respectively. However, in less than 24 hours, Ms. Selja shot a letter to Mr. Markam saying that all appointments made by him on June 16 stood cancelled with immediate effect.
“The objection wasn’t just about Mr. Ghosh’s removal or inclusion of Mr. Sisodia, but also giving charge of a division as politically significant as Raipur to Mr. Chawla,” the source added.
Known to be close to Mr. Markam, Mr. Chawla had distanced himself from the All India Congress Committee Plenary Session held in Raipur this February after the disciplinary committee issued a notice to him. However, the episode was seen as a fallout of Mr. Baghel’s displeasure with him. Having spent the next few months on the fringes, the new responsibility given by Mr. Markam brought him back into the reckoning.
On Ms. Selja’s letter, Mr. Markam said that the responsibilities of office bearers changed from time to time depending on where one was needed. “Elections are imminent. We make appointments looking at elections and who can strengthen the organisation in a given area. I have received the letter by Ms. Selja and we are reviewing it,” he said in Rajnandgaon on June 23.
The party source quoted above, however, said that the limbo persists and the status of the new appointees remained unclear.
A tribal leader from Bastar, Mr. Markam completed his three-year tenure last year and there has been talk of “other top decision-makers” within the party’s State leadership wanting him replaced. However, with elections approaching, the party has reportedly been weighing the associated risks: perception among tribal voters and the potential challenges posed by a major organisational overhaul so close to the elections.
On the recent developments in the Congress, the Opposition BJP alleged that Mr. Markam was not being given a free hand. Party’s State president Arun Sao claimed that CM Baghel was running the government as well as the organisation and that Mr. Markam, a tribal, was being held hostage. “If the state president fixes any responsibility in his organisation, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel gets it canceled by the state in-charge. What is all this going on in the Congress,” he said.
