NEW DELHI: It is not just factionalism and infighting in the party ruled states, the Congress is facing teething troubles in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, where the party is an ally of the ruling front. The Congress MLAs from both states came knocking at the door of the party high command complaining about the lack of funds to take care of their constituencies, poor coordination with bigger allies, and the looming threat of poaching.
The legislators from Maharashtra, where the party is in alliance government with Shiv Sena and NCP – and Jharkhand, part of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha alliance government, were in Delhi for a meeting.
Maharashtra MLAs and the lone party MP met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday while a group of Jharkhand MLAs and leaders met General Secretary (Organization) KC Venugopal.
The party has been facing serious trouble from within due to infighting in almost all state units and Sonia in her address to party MPs asserted that she will do everything to keep the party united.
The meeting was held as NCP chief Sharad Pawar hosted all Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) MLAs, who are in the national capital for two days of training, for a dinner with the union minister Nitin Gadkari also in attendance.
Sonia Gandhi gave a patient hearing to Maharashtra MLAs, who flagged the disproportionate distribution of constituency development funds to the junior-most ally in the government. “We (Congress) are getting less share of development funds to use in our constituencies compared to others (Shiv Sena and NCP MLAs). Congress chief has assured to take up the issue of funds allocation with NCP and Shiv Sena,” said a party MLA.
There have been reports about differences among alliance partners in the coalition government in Maharashtra but Pawar has been holding them together.
Under the Hemant Soren-led JMM-Congress government in Jharkhand, the party has made some futile attempts to work out a common minimum program with JMM. There has been buzz that former Jharkhand Congress in charge RPN Singh, who recently joined BJP, is at work to woo the Congress MLAs, on the lines of what happened in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, so that the government is reduced to a minority.
“Some of the party MLAs are also upset with the working style of state in-charge Avinash Pande and complaints have reached the top brass. There is also an ongoing tussle on two Rajya Sabha seats from the state to be filled in July as one will come to the alliance,” said a Jharkhand Congress leader.
Pande has held a series of meetings in the state and a Chintan Shivir last month to rebuild the party.