AICC reconstitutes panel, Syed Nasir Hussain inducted into Congress Working Committee

The entry of Syed Nasir Hussain as a general member of the Congress Working Committee ahead of M Veerappa Moily and BK Hariprasad, who were made Permanent Invitees in a signal to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, shows the young leader’s growing clout in national politics.

Through the appointments, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also sent a message to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who is considered a tall leader in Karnataka politics.

In the reorganisation, H K Patil, Dinesh Gundu Rao, and K H Muniyappa who were CWC members as permanent invitees were not considered as they have ministerial assignments.

However, the choice of Hariprasad, who had lost his seat in the CWC after he made way as General Secretary earlier, is seen as a direct signal to Siddaramaiah who had refused to accommodate him in the ministry.

Kharge has also overlooked Hariprasad’s attacks on Siddaramaiah, as the Congress president sought to compensate him for losing out in the ministerial race. Hariprasad also met Kharge and Sonia Gandhi recently.

Deputy Chief Minister and Karnataka president D K Shivakumar and other senior leaders had met Hariprasad earlier to assure him that he would be accommodated with respect.

Hariprasad's video purportedly attacking Siddaramaiah saying he knows how to make and remove the Chief Minister also went viral. Later, he defended the remarks too.

Though Shivakumar wanted Hariprasad’s induction in the Cabinet as Upper House representative, it was Siddaramaiah who opposed and ensured making N S Bosaraju as Minister from Upper House.

The inclusion of Hussain, a Rajya Sabha MP, has not surprised many as he is AICC Coordinator in the Congress President’s Office and has grown closer to Kharge over a period of time.

A PhD in international studies, Hussain has risen in ranks from student politics in Mysuru University and Jawaharlal Nehru University to youth politics and finally in Rajya Sabha.

Aggressively defending the party as a spokesperson for eight years, he was chosen as party’s Whip in Rajya Sabha. Groomed politically by the late Oscar Fernandes, Hussain was also entrusted with the task of coordination among Opposition parties inside and outside Parliament.

“A humbling moment and huge thanks and gratitude to the Congress leadership, president Kharge-ji, former presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for this opportunity given to me to serve the party as a CWC member,” Hussain tweeted after the announcement.

Hussain (52), who was made Rajya Sabha Whip after Kharge became Leader of Opposition, is among the young CWC members, which also includes Sachin Pilot and Gaurav Gogoi.