New Delhi: Even as the Congress is facing the trubulence in Assam following the resignation of former state unit chief Bhupen Boarh, grand old party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi is all set to visit the northeastern poll bound state for teo days starting Febriary 18, sources said on Tuesday.
According to party insiders, Priyanka Gandhi, who was appointed the Chairman of the Screening Committee was first set to visit Assam on February 18, but the programme was revised to begin from February 19.
They said that besides Priyanka Gandhi, the party’s senior observers including former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Bandhu Tirkey along with other screening committee members including Imran Masood, Srivella Prasad, Saptgiri Sankar Ulaka will also accompany her.
The party insiders said that after their arrival in Guwahati, the party leaders will take part in discussions with senior state party leaders including incharge Bhanwar Jitendra Singh, state unit chief Gaurav Gogoi as well as other office bearers during her stay.
Priyanka Gandhi, who is a party MP from Kerala’s Wayanad will first participate in a meeting of the screening committee, followed by meetings of the Political Affairs Committee of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), as well as with the chairpersons of the five APCC committees.
The party sources said that she will also have one-to-one meetings with 21 Congress MLAs and 35 District Congress Committee presidents, as well as with the heads of four frontal organizations of the APCC, and the Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Debabrata Saikia.
While other meetings are being planned by the state unit chief, the party insiders said.
Her meeting comes at a time when Borah, a former state unit chief resigned on Monday.
Even as several senior leaders rushed to Borah’s residence on Monday afternoon. The next day witnessed a see saw moment with firefighting by Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and jibes from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over Borah’s standing – as “the last Hindu leader” in the Congress’ Assam ranks – a jibe that underlined the communal nature of this campaign.
With Borah holding his cards, thenparty insiders said that Priyanka Gandhi might also discuss the issue with the state leaders.
Sarma on the other hand, pointed his attack on the Congress by picking up on reports of Borah being disgruntled by being ignored as a potential Chief Minister with references to his own Congress-to-BJP jump and subsequent promotion.
“… I was forced to leave (the Congress) … was not made Chief Minister despite support of 58 MLAs,” Sarma said.
And in the mix were rumours Borah could follow Sarma, Debabrata Saikia, a Congress MLA, pointed to Sarma saying he would visit Borah and claimed, “Yes, I feel … (Borah will join BJP).”
ENDS