india

Updated: Jun 30, 2019 09:29 IST

A day after Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit dissolved 280 block committees of its state unit, the party’s Delhi in-charge PC Chacko called the move “arbitrary” and urged All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi to overturn the decision.

Dikshit, a three-time chief minister of Delhi, had Friday dissolved the committees based on a report submitted by a five-member panel formed to assess the party’s performance in the recent Lok Sabha polls. The block committees were elected last year when former union minister Ajay Maken was heading the Delhi Congress.

On Saturday, however, Chacko sought a reversal of Dikshit’s decision which brought the tussle between the two Congress leaders out in the open. He “stayed” dissolution of the committees and forwarded copies of his order to Congress president Rahul Gandhi as well as Dikshit. “As a DPCC chief, one is not expected to behave so irresponsibly. The block presidents are elected leaders in the party and dissolution of these committees cannot be done without taking into consideration the working presidents,” he said.

Chacko said he has communicated his negative view on the decision to Gandhi who he said will take a final call in the matter. “Two working presidents told me that it was done without consulting them,” he said. A group of Congress leaders Saturday also met Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal and Chacko, and protested the move, party leaders said.

While Dikshit refused to comment, Delhi Congress spokesperson Jitender Kochar said as per the Congress’ Constitution the DPCC president has the power to remove block presidents. “It is only for removal of district presidents that the approval of AICC president is required. The process for constitution of new committees has already begun in view of the Assembly elections in Delhi scheduled early next year,” he said.