Differences over candidates selection; Ranee threatens to quit Cong

NEW DELHI, April 16: Irked by the selection of candidates in her constituency, Congress MP Ranee Narah today threatened to resign from the party, even as the Central Election Committee (CEC) began its meeting to finalise the party's list of candidates. Internal differences within the Assam Congress today came out in the open following Ranee's outburst against the party leadership. The former State Youth Congress president created quite a scene at the Parliament House here this afternoon, when she confronted senior AICC leaders, charging them with turning a blind eye about the state-of-affairs in the Assam Congress. Her open outburst against Assam Congress leadership stunned senior AICC members, with leaders like Gulam Nabi Azad rushing in to pacify her, even as a media corp watched the unfolding drama, in front of the AICC Parliament House office. Narah later rushed inside the office and lodged her protest with Margaret Alva, who is a member of the Central Election Committee. However, it was Priya Ranjan Das Munshi who tactfully handled the situation and persuaded her to take her grievances to the AICC president, Sonia Gandhi. The immediate cause of Narah's anger was nomination of Pradan Baruah for the Jonai LAC, which the MP claimed was promised to her supporter. As it is she who was nursing grouses against the leadership for letting Mani Kumar Subba and Paban Singh Ghatowar have a major say in selection of candidates within her Parliamentary constituency. Later talking to The Assam Tribune, Narah said if the High Command does not give her a due hearing, she would quit not only from her post as MP but also from the primary membership of the party. She claimed her resignation letter was ready and would be handed over to the AICC president. "I welcome Pradan Barua's induction into the party, but how can the APCC leadership let the dedicated party workers suffer by promising him the ticket? The APCC should draft a policy about admitting candidates from rival parties taking into account the views of the party workers, who are going to be affected," she asserted. "I would have given up any number of seats, had Pradan Baruah joined the Congress by splitting the AGP, but at the individual level things become a little different," she argued. However, an APCC leader and member of the State Selection Committee (SEC) contradicted her charges, pointing out that her nominees case was considered and found that he was a weak candidate. Similar is the case with her nominee for the Sadiya LAC, he claimed. But Narah thinks otherwise and said she was not given a say in selection of candidates in her Parliamentary constituency. "The powerful Mani Kumar Subba has nominated his brother S R Subba who is a lottery trader for Naoboicha LAC. This gentleman has never visited the area even when his own brother contested for the Assembly elections," she charged. Then another nominee of Subba is one Bolin Chetia, who is his manager handling his lottery trade for the Sadiya LAC. Similarly Paban Singh Ghatowar has encroached into my territory by having two of his nominee included as candidates for Chabua and other LACs, she claimed. All these issues would be brought to the notice of the AICC High Command and if I still don't get justice, I am prepared to quit, a highly charged MP said. Meanwhile, amidst all this turmoil, the CEC headed by AICC chief Sonia Gandhi began its sitting at the 24 Akbar Road AICC head office to finalise the Congress candidates for Assam. The committee that includes; Alva, Ambika Soni, Prabha Rao, Arjun Singh, M L Fotader, Vijay Bhaskar Reddy among others would finalise the list in consultation with APCC president and Silvius Condpan. Meanwhile, sources close to Tarun Gogoi said the APCC has dropped candidates against whom there are criminal cases pending. The probable candidates who are likely to be axed included Nakul Das, Rajen Bora, Tara Parsad Das, Chandan Sarkar, Samsul Haque and a few SULFA leaders. "It is felt that unless the Congress party fields candidates with clean image, it would loose that edge, as also the moral right to accuse other parties of fielding tainted candidates," argued Bijoy Krishna Handique, defending the decision to field candidates with clean image.