NEW DELHI: Infighting in the Congress took an ugly turn last week when pro and anti Narasimha Rao party men clashed outside the Ashok Road residence of former External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, where CWC members had assembled for an informal meeting. The police said they arrested Delhi Youth Congress president Jagdish Yadav, and six others, on the charge of assaulting a dissident leader, Mehmood Paracha, while 24 others were detained.

Local sources said dissident leaders Rajesh Pilot, Sharad Pawar and a few others decided against attending the meeting after they saw the large presence of YC activists at the spot. Sensing that dissidents might put up a show at the venue for the meeting, a large number of Youth Congress activists had gathered outside Mr. Mukherjee’s residence, another meeting was organized by dissident DPCC leader Subhash Chopra at Jantar Mantar where nearly a thousand activists courted arrest.

Mr. Paracha, along with a few supporters, decided to shout slogans outside Mr. Mukherjee’s residence, and arrived at the spot that evening. No sooner than he shouted his first slogan, demanding Mr. Rao’s resignation, the seven arrested are said to have pounced upon him and delivered a few blows before the police could intervene. Mr. Paracha’s shirt was torn and he is said to have sustained injuries in his abdomen.

 Youth Congress activists raised slogans against the Delhi Police when they made efforts to take them away. Twenty four other activists, including eight women were detained by the police and were later released. New Delhi District Deputy Commissioner of Police Aditya Arya said that while the YC activists had sought their permission to stage a march from the Congress Akbar Road headquarters to their Raisina Road office but they moved towards Ashok Road and gathered there. YC President MLS. Bitta denied information about who was injured in the incident. “I have heard about it from my party members. The person (Mr. Paracha) had raised slogans against the party president and this might have infuriated some of our activists which led to the incident,” he said.

Article extracted from this publication >>  July 24, 1996