Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Nov 3: Faction-ridden Congress in the coast seems to have failed to capitalise on BJP’s sagging image, because of the differences within its own leadership. The coast boasts of top level leaders like Oscar, Moily and Poojary. But efforts to unite them have failed. The party’s dropped plan to wave black flags at Advani’s ‘Janachetana Yatra’ gave an indication of one such rift.

The fact that charges, counter-charges and criticisms were traded between Congress leaders, Janardhana Poojary and Ivan D’Souza, at the open meeting held here on Sunday brought to the fore the issue of differences between the leaders. Poojary had asked the party men to shelve their plan of waving black flags at the Yatra, and his wish was honoured. However, on the same evening, district Congress held a protest.

The media was told that city purification programme in the form of novel way of protest against BJP would be held by Congress party on Tuesday. However, the plan was dropped in the evening. Although the leadership came up with the excuse that it could not secure permission on account of holiday, it later came to be known that factionalism had worked behind this measure too. It is said that one faction was adamant against holding this programme, and had even threatened to openly oppose it, if it was held.

A team of new generation leaders of Congress is learnt to have on its agenda, a plan to bring these factions together. The team has members supporting all the above leaders. It will meet the top leadership of the party and ask them to save the party from factionalism, towards building back the party’s fortunes in the state’s coast, in order to be able to valiantly fight the coming election which is only a year away.