New Delhi, Mar 4: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday constituted a new Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's top policy making body, retaining key functionaries like Rahul Gandhi and Digvijay Singh and putting Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad in charge of trouble-hit Andhra Pradesh.
 Azad is already looking after poll-bound Tamil Nadu.
 In a major promotion, party’s former spokesperson Mohan Prakash has been given charge of the key states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.
 While Law Minister M Veerappa Moily has been relieved of his charge of Andhra Pradesh, Digvijay Singh retains the charge of Uttar Pradesh and Assam and Rahul Gandhi the portfolio of youth and student wings.
 Mohan Prakash a hardcore Socialist was once with Janata Dal (United). He was party’s General Secretary and spokesperson in late 90s.
 However after 2002 Gujarat riots Mohan Prakash left his party which was at that time BJP led National Democratic Alliance’s partner in centre.
 Prakash while leaving Janata Dal-U had told media persons that he was extremely unhappy over the communal carnage in Gujarat and the role played by the JD-U.
 Prakash later joined Congress and was made party’s spokesperson subsequently. Relatively low profile Prakash was lastly in limelight in recent past when he compared Rahul Gandhi with Jay Prakash Narayan. Meanwhile, the much-awaited reshuffle of the Congress hierarchy today, saw the exit of seven members from CWC and two general secretaries Mohsina Kidwai and V Narayanasamy who was recently made Minister of State in PMO.
 Veteran party leader Arjun Singh, one of the seven dropped from the CWC, passed away a few hours later.
 The exercise coming three months after the authorisation given to Gandhi also saw the exit of CWC member K Keshava Rao who was in-charge of poll-bound West Bengal as also Jharkhand.
 Others who have not been renominated to the CWC are Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Union Ministers Mallikarjun Kharge, V Narayanasamy and senior MP Kishore Chandra Deo. Those retained in the CWC besides Rahul Gandhi are senior ministers Pranab Mukherjee, A K  Antony, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni and senior leaders Motilal Vora, Digvijay Singh, Janardan Dwivedi.
 Oscar Fernandes has been promoted to CWC, the highest policy-making body of the party, and made a general secretary. Home Minister P Chidambaram, who is a member of the elite Core Group, has been made a permanent invitee to the CWC.
 Senior leader Ahmed Patel, who retains his position as political secretary to the Congress President, will continue to be part of the CWC which will now have 19 members including Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
 Besides the incumbents, Rahul Gandhi, Digvijay Singh, B K Hariprasad, Azad, Janardan Dwivedi and Mukul Wasnik, the new general secretaries are Birender Singh, Madhusudan Mistry and Fernandes.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 4 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 5 Mar 2011 00:00:00 IST