At a time when there is need for a unified party in UP to take on the ruling BSP on the one hand and the SP and the BJP on the other, the Congress high command has made a few blunders for which the party may have to pay a heavy price.

The high command cancelled as many as five important appointments in the organisation announced by UPCC President Rita Bahuguna Joshi. Joshi had appointed five state-level in-charges of different cells of the party organization. She had also announced that approval of Congress president Sonia Gandhi had been obtained before making these appointments.

Veteran Congress leader and former minister Moid Ahmad considered close to Gandhi family was made in charge of the minority cells, Siddh Gopal Sahu the Backward cells head and Ram Krishna the in-charge of the Scheduled Caste cells; likewise, Agarwal was made the in charge of the traders cells and Ansuya Sharma, of the labour cells.

The Congress leadership also directed the state PCC chief to allow previous chairmen of the minority cells Maroof Khan and Vinod Choudhry of the backward cells to continue in their posts till the organizational polls were completed.

The cancellation of the appointment of Moid Ahmad and Siddh Gopal and three others has shocked the PCC, which now fears major changes in the organisational set-up.

Leaders like Maroof Khan and Vinod Choudhry never abided by the directives from UPCC president Rita Bahuguna. . Not only that. They challenged her authority and secured an order in their favour directly from the Congress high command.

It is an open secret that Maroof Khan and Vinod Choudhry had worked against Rita Bahuguna when she contested the Lok Sabha election from Lucknow. Incidentally, Vinod and Maroof had tried to get tickets for their own candidature but the party high command opted for Rita Bahuguna.

Rita is already fighting her detractors in the party who want to dislodge her from the post of UPCC president. For instance, a few spokesman of the party, CLP leader Pramod Tewari and some MPs from the state are out to remove Rita.

But for the incident in which Rita's house was burnt, her detractors would have succeeded in removing her as the UPCC president.

However, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi has stood by Rita Bahuguna Joshi.

She had recently organised statewide protests, braving a brutal lathi-charge, against atrocities on women during the Mayawati regime. She had also submitted a memorandum to the Governor listing cases of atrocities against women in the State.

A disturbed Governor BL Joshi had asked for a detailed report from the government.

Joshi has now decided to issue a charge-sheet against the Mayawati government. She has also asked her party office-bears to prepare a list giving details of corruption cases involving BSP leaders as well as bureaucrats during the Mayawati regime.

Political analysts feel that If the Congress high command continues to harass Rita Bahuguna Joshi, it would be difficult for the party to achieve its Mission 2012 to grab power in the UP Assembly polls. (IPA)