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Rao, Kesri followers not welcome at Congress's Pachmarhi session

In a significant development, the organisers of the Congress party's brain-storming session at Pacchmarhi have withdrawn invitations to several followers of Sitaram Kesri and P V Narasimha Rao along with those against whom corruption charges are pending in court.

According to highly-placed Congress officials, initially the party leadership had sent out invitations to some 230 party members to attend the three-day brain-storming session commencing on September 4. However, it was later decided to withdraw the names of 15 members against whom corruption charges were pending in court. They also pointed out that after the initial decision, the organisers also thought it prudent to drop from the invitation list chiefs of ex-Congress frontal organisations like Youth Congress and Mahila Congress. As a result, about 30 names have been dropped from the invitation list.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, some of Rao's acolytes maintained that the primary aim behind axing them was to prevent dissent at the session. They felt that party president Sonia Gandhi was afraid the session would be "hijacked" by her critics, and inspired the withdrawal of the names of those she perceived to be trouble-makers.

The names of former governors Sheila Kaul, Romesh Bhandari and Gulsher Ahmed had reportedly been withdrawn from the Congress's invitation list, since they have corruption cases pending against them.

But significantly, hawala-tainted Congressmen like Satish Sharma and Balram Jakhar are part of the attendees' list. The reason put forward for this is that they have been former Union ministers. But Kesri and Rao's followers asserted that Sharma and Jakhar were being invited only because they owed allegiance to the party chief.

In sharp contrast, Rao's men like Matang Singh and former party general secretary Devendranath Dwivedi are not being invited. While the Congress spokesperson refrained from commenting on the withdrawal of their names, it is understood that Sonia is worried that they would raise issues that could damage her leadership.

While Kesri will not travel to Pachmarhi because of indisposition, Rao has decided to attend the convention; he may even give a speech there.

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