New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said that it hopes to control dissent in the Uttarakhand unit soon, after a section of state leaders expressed their displeasure over the new team. Comprising Karan Mahara as state unit chief, Yashpal Arya as CLP leader and Bhuwan Kapri as deputy CLP leader, the new team was announced two days ago by party chief Sonia Gandhi.
Congress had lost the recently concluded Assembly polls to the BJP. On Tuesday, a section of the MLAs questioned the decision and dropped hints that they may switch sides with the BJP if their issues were not addressed. Notably, former CLP leader Pritam Singh, lawmaker Rajendra Bhandari and former state unit chief Ganesh Godiyal were miffed as they did not find a place in the new team despite seniority. Another group of leaders was upset as the Garhwal region had been neglected given that Mahara, Arya and Kapri all belong to the Kumaon region.
The new appointments said sources were done to balance caste equations, Mahara is a Thakur, Arya a Dalit and Kapri a Brahmin. Party leaders at the central level said they were in touch with the dissenting lawmakers and the situation would be normalized in a few days. Responding to the fresh dissenting voices, AICC Secretary in charge of Uttarakhand Rajesh Dharmani told ETV Bharat “The decision of a new team was taken after due consultations with all the state leaders. Everyone had claims and the party listened to all but a post can only be given to one person.”