CM gets Sonia rap for walkout at party meeting but PCC chief Sharma gets just a panel.

CM gets Sonia rap for walkout at party meeting but PCC chief Sharma gets just a panel.

New Delhi, April 25: CM Sheila Dikshit’s wings were clipped by 10 Janpath tonight, after a six-day turf war between the party and the government though she managed to survive.

After an hour-and-half-long meeting ended, the CM looked ‘‘reined in’’ as a coordination committee was formed to listen to and redress partymen’s grievances against the government.

However, Delhi Pradesh Congress President Ram Babu Sharma couldn’t get what he wanted — a change in leadership. Earlier in the day though, Dikshit is believed to have suggested to her ministers that they should submit their resignations to the party high command but they didn’t agree.

After the meeting, at 10 p.m, AICC general secretary (Delhi affairs) Ashok Gehlot said, ‘‘These were internal matters of the party. We are like a family...all misunderstandings have been sorted out...we will work together.’’ He was accompanied by Dikshit, Sharma, Union Power Minister P M Sayeed and AICC general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi.

Sources said Dikshit’s point of view at the meeting that ‘‘the party was working against the government’’ couldn’t get the high command’s sympathy. Sonia, sources said, asked the CM to consult the partymen for governance. ‘‘She was asked not to ignore the partymen and her walkout followed by media statements were also frowned upon,’’ sources said.

She was asked to refrain from alleging that the partymen were running her down, sources said. Sonia, apparently, told her that ‘‘allegations have to be specific or else they mean the entire Congress leadership was against Dikshit which wasn’t true.’’ The CM then apologised to the senior leaders.

There was no talk of any ‘‘immediate change of leadership’’ although setting up of the coordination panel means the government will now be under the party scanner. The old mechanism had been virtually discarded but has been revived now.

The meeting of the top guns of the Congress was the culmination of hectic confabulations at 6.30 pm with Ashok Gehlot with both Dikshit and Sharma present. Sources said they argued bitterly in front of Gehlot following which both were asked to wait for a call from 10, Janpath.

The anti-Sheila camp was upbeat after the meeting as Sharma told Newsline: ‘‘She was trying to become bigger than the party. The Congress president has told her not to think so.’’

Sharma used the opportunity to the hilt, when Dikshit walked out of a party executive committee meeting last Tuesday. He spoke of party discipline being breached by the CM even as Dikshit retaliated saying most speakers who had criticised her were ‘‘outsiders’’.

Sharma, next day, released the names of the speakers and said all were partymen and office-bearers. Friday’s Mahavir Jayanti get-together at the CM’s became a show of strength as only 22 out of 47 legislators reached the CM’s residence.