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Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday dismissed the impact of the Congress' latest organisational changes, saying it would make no effect as the BJP will come back to power third time in a row in the assembly polls due next year.
On Friday, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) announced a major organisational reshuffle with the appointment of new party In-charges for three states, including Uttar Pradesh, according to a press release issued by AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal. "It will make no difference. BJP will come to power with a landslide majority for a third time," Pathak said while reacting to the Congress's organisational revamp. According to the official communication dated June 26, 2026, the Congress has made the following appointments with immediate effect: Rajendra Pal Gautam has been appointed as the AICC In-charge for Uttar Pradesh, Sanjay Dutt has been appointed as the AICC In-charge for Haryana, and Lalji Desai has been appointed as the AICC In-charge for Odisha. In the same release, the party acknowledged and appreciated the contributions of the outgoing General Secretaries/In-charges, namely Avinash Pande, BK Hariprasad, and Ajay Kumar Lallu. Meanwhile, on the alleged embezzlement case of Ram Mandir's donation, Pathak said, "It's the police's job, there will be an impartial and stringent investigation. The govt will take strict action." Earlier, on Friday, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust General Secretary Champat Rai and member trustee Anil Mishra resigned, taking moral responsibility for the alleged embezzlement of Ram Mandir donations. The case has been filed under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 306, 316(5), 317(4), 317(5), 61 and 3(5), on the directions of the Uttar Pradesh Government. Those who have been named in the FIR are: Anukalp Mishra, Lavkush Mishra, Avinash Shukla, Tinnu Yadav, Manish Yadav and others. This action followed allegations by former SP MLA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey, who claimed that between Rs 27 crore and Rs 7.5 crore in donations were misappropriated from the Ram Mandir. In response to these claims, the state government constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on June 14 to probe the alleged scam, acting on a request from the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. (ANI)
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