Chhattisgarh Congress chief goes missing from plenary publicity posters

Publicity material put up by State Congress leaders to welcome the 12,000-odd delegates had no name or picture of Mohan Markam

While the Congress is putting out all the stops to make its 85th plenary session from February 24 to 26 in Nava Raipur a grand success, the omission of its Chhattisgarh unit chief from posters lining the routes from the airport to the event venue has triggered a new controversy.

Publicity material put up on Wednesday afternoon by State Congress leaders, including Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, to welcome the 12,000-odd delegates had no name or picture of Mohan Markam. Several party office-bearers as well as supporters of the State unit chief later raised the issue with the Congress State in-charge Kumari Selja, who had assigned event preparation responsibilities.

“We vehemently registered our point that a national-level conclave was being held in Raipur but the person leading the State unit, also the chairman of the reception committee, was missing from the posters. Ms. Kumari, too, expressed anger,” said a supporter of Mr. Markam. It was then decided that his pictures would be pasted on the existing posters.

Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary (organisation) Ravi Ghosh issued an order on Mr. Markam’s behalf instructing party workers to take the State unit or HQ’s permission before putting up any publicity material. While the order was seen as a fallout of the omission, Mr. Markam on Thursday said it was issued to ensure that the material includes Congress’s history and its icons.

That didn’t stop the Opposition BJP from describing the omission as a marker of rift within the Congress and insult of a “tribal leader”.

“It shows how much respect the Congress has for the tribals. First, it targeted T.S. Singh Deo [senior Cabinet Minister seen as a rival to the CM] and now Mohan Markam has been completely sidelined ahead of the plenary session. I feel [Chief Minister] Bhupesh Baghel wants to convey that he is the only leader in the State’s organisation,” said former Chief Minister Raman Singh on Thursday.