Pranab heads Congress panel

Congress president Sitaram Kesri on Sunday set up a five-member central coordination committee for organisational matters.

The committee, headed by Pranab Mukherjee, comprises Arjun Singh, K Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, Dr Manmohan Singh and Lalthanwala.

The move indicates Mukherjee's growing clout in the party -- he recently headed an observers's team to Gujarat to study the political situation there.

The exclusion of party vice-president Jitendra Prasada from the committee is considered significant in the light of reports about his differences with the party president.

The differences between the two surfaced after the Congress Working Committee elections in August. Reports said some leaders, who were not on the official panel, got elected to the CWC because of Prasada's support.

UNI

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