<p>The Congress appears to be sidelining ‘dissenters’ as loyalists have been handed over key responsibilities in the organisation.</p>.<p>Young leaders Gaurav Gogoi and Ravneet Singh Bittu were appointed deputy leader and party whip in the Lok Sabha respectively, ignoring the claims of Manish Tewari for a role in the organisation.</p>.<p>The Congress has also set up a five-member committee with senior leader Jairam Ramesh as the convenor to examine the ordinances issued by the Modi government during the intersession period. The panel has senior leaders P Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh, Gogoi and IAS-officer-turned Lok Sabha member Amar Singh as members.</p>.<p>The appointment of Digvijaya Singh to the committee marks his return to central politics after a hiatus in state politics. The two-term Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha member was removed as AICC General Secretary in 2017, following which he focused his energies on state politics.</p>.<p>Curiously, the new appointments do not find a place for any of the 23 letter-writers who has sought sweeping changes in the party.</p>.<p>The party has sought the legal expertise of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram over former Law Minister Kapil Sibal, who has been the ‘go to’ person for the party in all matters legal.</p>.<p>The choice of Amar Singh, a first term Lok Sabha member, is seen as a snub to former union minister Tewari, who was one of the signatories to the letter that caused much upheaval in the organisation.</p>.<p>Among the 23 dissenters, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has been vocal about the issues raised in the letter, including on organisational elections, leading to much discomfort within the party.</p>.<p>“I have been silent for four days on recent events in Congress because once Congress President says the issue is behind us, it is the duty of all of us to work together constructively in the interests if the party. I urge my colleagues to uphold this principle and end the debate,” Shashi Tharoor, another signatory to the letter, said.</p>
<p>The Congress appears to be sidelining ‘dissenters’ as loyalists have been handed over key responsibilities in the organisation.</p>.<p>Young leaders Gaurav Gogoi and Ravneet Singh Bittu were appointed deputy leader and party whip in the Lok Sabha respectively, ignoring the claims of Manish Tewari for a role in the organisation.</p>.<p>The Congress has also set up a five-member committee with senior leader Jairam Ramesh as the convenor to examine the ordinances issued by the Modi government during the intersession period. The panel has senior leaders P Chidambaram and Digvijaya Singh, Gogoi and IAS-officer-turned Lok Sabha member Amar Singh as members.</p>.<p>The appointment of Digvijaya Singh to the committee marks his return to central politics after a hiatus in state politics. The two-term Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Rajya Sabha member was removed as AICC General Secretary in 2017, following which he focused his energies on state politics.</p>.<p>Curiously, the new appointments do not find a place for any of the 23 letter-writers who has sought sweeping changes in the party.</p>.<p>The party has sought the legal expertise of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram over former Law Minister Kapil Sibal, who has been the ‘go to’ person for the party in all matters legal.</p>.<p>The choice of Amar Singh, a first term Lok Sabha member, is seen as a snub to former union minister Tewari, who was one of the signatories to the letter that caused much upheaval in the organisation.</p>.<p>Among the 23 dissenters, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad has been vocal about the issues raised in the letter, including on organisational elections, leading to much discomfort within the party.</p>.<p>“I have been silent for four days on recent events in Congress because once Congress President says the issue is behind us, it is the duty of all of us to work together constructively in the interests if the party. I urge my colleagues to uphold this principle and end the debate,” Shashi Tharoor, another signatory to the letter, said.</p>
