Guwahati, April 7: Assam PCC leaders and office-bearers today heaved a “huge” sigh of relief when it became clear that the existing committee would continue with a few fresh people coming on board.
Sources privy to Assam PCC office-bearers’ meeting this morning said the suspense was ended by state unit president Bhubaneswar Kalita.
“The president said that the existing committee has helped the party retain power, has carried out critical party activities since and has now got busy with panchayat elections. There should be doubt about the sanctity of the existing committee. There will be a few changes here and there to accommodate new faces in place of office-bearers who have been entrusted with added responsibility by the Congress Legislature Party and those who face disciplinary action. There will also be a few promotions,” the source said after Kalita’s address to office-bearers.
Soon after the meeting, office-bearers whom this correspondent met said this was an important observation, which would go a long way in ending months of speculation about who would be in and who would be left out after AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam Digvijaya Singh had said in a meeting at Rajiv Bhawan here in October that the new committee would be a small one.
“We could not effect the changes earlier because of the Assembly polls but the new committee will be announced by the end of this month. It will be a small committee with around 41 members. All MLAs and MPs will be invitees. The frontal organisations will also be constituted as soon as possible,” Singh had said.
An office-bearer said it was a huge relief. “ We can now get down to work more freely,” one of them said.
Kalita, the sources said, also said that the existing disciplinary committee under former MP Santosh Mohan Dev would continue as sitting MP Bijoy Krishna Handique has declined to head the committee as chairman.
All cases would be placed before the committee which will take a call after Bihu, sources said.
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