Minorities frustrated in MP Cong: Qureshi

Bhopal, Feb 24 (UNI) Senior Congress leader Aziz Qureshi today said OBCs, minorities and other weaker sections in the party ''stood totally frustrated and demoralised besides being ignored and isolated because of domination of upper caste''.

''Particularly, Muslims in Madhya Pradesh feel greatly ignored and sidelined. Since the formation of Madhya Pradesh, not a single Muslim was allowed to become the president of the state Congress or Chief Minister.

Mr Qureshi was commenting on the recent appointment of Mr Suresh Pachouri, a Brahmin, as state Congress President, in place of Mr Subhash Yadav, who is an OBC.

He felt that Mr Yadav did ''make very hard and sincere efforts and done tremendous field work to organise a demoralised and beleaguered unit after the shameful defeat in the last assembly and Lok Sabha elections.'' ''Still, he has been replaced by the party high command, which is the best judge and every Congressman accepted.'' Mr Qureshi welcomed Mr Pachouri's appointment and offered his ''total and unconditional'' cooperation to him.

The veteran Congress leader cautioned that current political situation ''has opened gates wide open for the SP and the BSP,'' which he claimed was not allowed by Mr Yadav as PCC chief.

Regretting lack of a ''united and well-knit effort'' on the part of the party leaders to defeat communal forces in the state, he urged the party high command to ensure ''close coordination and sincere cooperation'' among leaders like Mr Kamal Nath, Mr Digvijay Singh, Mr Jyotiraditya Scindia and Mr Subhash Yadav to defeat the BJP at the hustings.

''If Mr Arjun Singh is not being sent as governor of Maharashtra, he should be made to closely associate himself to form a strategy and planning for the victory of the Congress in this year's elections in the state,'' he said.

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