Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 30 (ANI): Revenue, Horticulture and Tribal Development Minister of Himachal Pradesh and senior Congress leader Jagat Singh Negi has publicly expressed disappointment over organisational changes in the Congress in Kinnaur.
He alleged that people without a longstanding association with the party had been brought into its organisational structure while those committed to the party's ideology were being sidelined.
Negi said he had repeatedly raised his concerns within the party before the issue became public and maintained that his objections were part of an internal democratic process rather than an attempt to undermine the Congress.
His criticism was directed at the composition of the Kinnaur district organisation, where he alleged that some people appointed to party positions were effectively "sleeper cells" of the BJP.
Negi claimed that some of those being brought into the organisation had neither held Congress membership in the past nor had a sustained association with the party's ideology.
"I have raised this issue several times at the party forum. People who do not accept the ideology and have not been members of the Congress are being brought into the organisation, while those who have worked for the party for a long time are being sidelined," he said.
The minister said the Congress was a democratic organisation and that internal debate and criticism should be allowed.
He referred to repeated calls by Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, for greater internal democracy and said organisational restructuring should strengthen the party rather than create dissatisfaction among long-standing workers.
Negi's comments come against the backdrop of organisational changes in Kinnaur, where the dissolution and restructuring of district and block-level Congress committees has triggered differences between the minister and sections of the state party leadership. The Tribune recently reported that Negi had opposed the dissolution of Kinnaur's block committees and had alleged the presence of BJP "sleeper cells" and "Jai Chands" in the district organisation.
Negi said the block committees had been functioning and questioned the decision to dissolve them.
"I do not think dissolving the block committees was the right decision. They were working," he said.
He maintained that he had worked within the party organisation for decades and had held the position of district Congress president before being elected to the Assembly and later becoming a minister.
"I have always worked within the discipline and Constitution of the party. But if some people make statements that damage the party, there should be action against them. At the same time, workers who stand with the party should not be threatened with disciplinary action," Negi said.
The minister said he was particularly disappointed by what he described as the sidelining of workers who had remained associated with the Congress during difficult periods.
He argued that organisational positions should go to people with a demonstrable commitment to the party rather than to individuals who had joined only recently or had no established organisational record.
Negi also connected the internal dispute with the Nautor agitation in Kinnaur, saying Congress workers had taken up the issue because it affected tribal residents and their economic interests.
He said the "Nautor Yatra" had emerged from concerns among people over the prolonged delay in granting land under the applicable rules.
Negi rejected the suggestion that his criticism was aimed at creating a confrontation within the Congress.
"I have first raised these matters within the party. When questions are subsequently raised publicly, I have to give an explanation. The Congress is a democratic party, and there should be internal democracy," he said.
He also questioned whether organisational changes in Kinnaur could affect the party's grassroots strength in the tribal district.
Negi said he would continue to raise his concerns through party forums while remaining committed to the Congress organisation. (ANI)
Himachal: Jagat Singh Negi voices disappointment over Congress reorganisation in Kinnaur, alleges 'sleeper cells' in party structure
