NEW DELHI, India: Indira loyalists led by Mr. Parnab Mukherjee, a former Finance Minister, has launched a new political party at a convention here. The party was named as National Socialist Congress (Rashtriya Samajvadi Congress). The convention elected Mr. Parnab Mukherjee as the first President of the Party. His name was proposed by Gundu Rao former Chief Minister of Karnataka and seconded by J. Dhote the former M.P. from Maharashtra.

The convention authorized Mr. Mukherjee to name the General Secretaries, other office bearers and members of the Parliamentary Board. The convention was held at the same venue in the sprawling lawn of Vallabh Bhai Patel House which witnessed two earlier splits in Congress in 1970 and 1978. More than 3 thousand delegates from all over the country attended the convention. The biggest ever contingent came from U.P. and Haryana. Several Congress (I) leaders who have recently been expelled from the Congress (I) on charges of indiscipline were seen on the Dias. They included besides Mr. Mukherjee, Mr. Parkash Mehrotra. Gundu Rao, Mr. Dhote, S.M. Khan, M.P., Mr. Mayapati Tnpathi, son of Kamlapathi Tripathi, S. Bose, S.P. Sinha, former Chief Minister of Bihar, B. Bhoya, Mr. Ashok Bhatacharya and S.S. Bhoya.

In his Presidential address, Mr. Mukherjee said that Congress party has been reduced to an instrument for sub serving the government. The Indian stage has been taken over by a group of nonpoliticians. The attitude of the personnel had changed so basically as nobody knew how long he will continue in a particular post.

The Congress Working Committee had held no meeting and A.G.C. had given no guidelines to the government.

Meanwhile the Rashtriya Samajvadi congress has decided to have an electoral adjustment with all Janata party during the coming Assembly elections in West Bengal. According to Prof. S.S. Mahapatra, the General Secretary of the party, the Congress will strive for poll adjustment with the Congress (S) led by Sarat Chander Sinha in Kerala, Mahrashtra and other states. R.S.C. has also decided to hold conventions at Luk-now and Patna and the party expects to enroll at least one million members by October, 1987.

Article extracted from this publication >>  January 16, 1987