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Prasada warned against
campaigning in states

Senior Congress leader Jitendra Prasada, who is challenging incumbent Sonia Gandhi for the party chief's post, has been threatened not to visit states to marshal support among party delegates, according to camp follower Venod Sharma.

At a press conference at Prasada's Teen Murti Marg residence, Sharma pointed out that Prasada had received "anonymous telephone calls" warning him not to visit the states.

Significantly, irate Sonia supporters had on Tuesday burnt Prasada's effigy outside the party headquarters, after raining blows on it with slippers and sandals.

"But Prasada does not need any protection because the workers are with him," Sharma contended.

Sharma said Prasada's letter on Tuesday to party Central Election Authority chairman Ram Niwas Mirdha to put the addresses of PCC delegates on the state lists had not evoked any response.

"We have not been given addresses of delegates, so I don't know how Prasada is going to meet them for marshalling support," Sharma pointed out, adding that despite filing nominations "additions (of names) and deletions are on by the rival Sonia camp."

He also pointed out that Prasada was going to Madras on Thursday to seek support among PCC delegates. Tamil Nadu party leader K V Thangabalu had complained that Sonia camp followers were carrying on large-scale irregularities in the state list.

Party MP and ardent Prasada camp follower Begum Noor Bano told rediff.com that former Uttar Pradesh state party chief Salman Khursheed, who had been targeting Prasada especially after he filed his nomination against Sonia, was involved in defaming Sonia's challenger.

She underscored that when the Babri Masjid was demolished in Ayodhya, Khursheed had been a minister in the erstwhile government of P V Narasimha Rao.

"Khursheed did precious little except make a lot of noise against the demolition of the mosque," Bano said and added that the Prasada camp would emphasise this among the UP delegates.

"Khursheed has conveniently ignored this. If the Rao government has to take collective responsibility for the demolition, Khursheed's role can't be overlooked," she pointed out.

Sonia supporter Waseem Ahmed contended that Prasada's "omissions and commissions" during his tenure as Rao's political secretary and later as vice-president of the party were being "reviewed" and it was bound to find mention in the campaign against him. He alleged that when Sitaram Kesri was party chief, Prasada had allegedly "stage-managed" Kesri's overwhelming victory as party chief.

Congress spokesman Anand Sharma maintained that Prasada's jumping into the fray for the Congress chief's post proved that intra-party democracy was alive and kicking despite claims to the contrary.

Fellow spokesman Prithviraj Chavan, when questioned about the recent attack on Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh by state partymen following the election of Ajit Jogi as Chhattisgarh chief minister, said the party deplored violence and such tactics."

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