No role for Punjab CM Amarinder Singh, Sunil Jakhar in rejigged CWC

CHANDIGARH: In the rejig of Congress party’s organisational structure, former Uttrakhand chief minister Harish Rawat on Friday replaced Dalhousie MLA Asha Kumari as general secretary incharge of party’s affairs in Punjab. Besides, only one leader from Punjab, Kuljit Singh Nagra has been included in the 26-member list of permanent invitees to the Congress Working Committee (CWC).
Nagra has been appointed incharge of Sikkim, Nagaland and Tripura. Congress Rajya Sabha member Ambika Soni has been included in the CWC and also party of the special committee to assist the Congress president in organisational and operational matters.
Surjewala in core team, Deepender special invitee
No other leader has been inducted into the CWC. Till now, Asha Kumari was also a permanent invitee to the CWC. Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh was inducted into the CWC in 2013 but was later dropped in 2018.
“It is surprising that no tall leader from Punjab, including chief minister Amarinder Singh or state president Sunil Jakhar has been given any key responsibility in the new structure approved by party president Sonia Gandhi. This, despite the fact that Amarinder had come out openly in support for her and had slammed the party leaders who were signatories to the letter demanding changes in the patty,” confided a Congress leader.
Asha Kumari is among four outgoing general secretary incharges of states. After racking up a controversy by appointing Kamal Nath as incharge of Punjab affairs, Congress had named Asha Kumari in June 2016 ahead of the Punjab assembly elections. She is known to have enjoyed a good equation with Amarinder.
Till now, Nagra was incharge of the party's Delhi affairs. Asha Kumari had recently teamed up with Sunil Jakhar to finalise a new organisational structure for Punjab, which is awaiting approval of the party high command.
In Haryana, Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Hooda and Adampur MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi have been appointed special invitees to the Congress Working Committee. Senior leader Vivek Bansal has been named as new incharge for Haryana affairs even as former Haryana minister and AICC communication head Randeep Surjewala has been included in the core team, the special committee constituted to guide AICC president Sonia Gandhi. He is also a member of the CWC. Rajiv Shukla is the new incharge of party affairs in Himachal Pradesh.