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LCP office becomes a bone of contention

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

The sprawling office building of the Loktantrik Congress Party in Lucknow is now a bone of contention between supporters and opponents of the party's expelled president Naresh Agarwal.

Agarwal, who was sacked by Chief Minister Rajnath Singh from his Cabinet last week and subsequently expelled from the LCP, has just two of the party's 19 legislators on his side. But he is clinging on to the office building in prime commercial area.

The building, originally designed as a minister's bungalow, was allotted to the LCP for use as its state headquarters two years ago.

Spread over half an acre a stone's throw from the state capital's fashionable commercial hub Hazratganj, the huge bungalow was renovated at a cost of more than Rs 500,000 by the state government's department of estates.

Sure enough, Agarwal's rivals in the party have now set their eyes on the bungalow. The ousted energy minister, whose word was law until last week, however, sounded the alert among his supporters and since yesterday, a band of more than 100 youths (some armed) has been posted there to prevent gate-crashing by the rival group.

But some of the 'muscular' leaders in the rival camp are bent upon taking over the office building. Two of them -- Amar Mani Tripathi and Raja Bhaiya, both ministers -- have been asserting from day one that the party office now belongs to the 'real' LCP.

Describing Agarwal as an imposter, Tripathi told reporters in Lucknow, "It is high time Naresh Agarwal gracefully vacates the office, otherwise we will have no option but to evict his supporters."

Another minister, Vivek Singh, asked, "Now that Agarwal has been expelled from the party, what business does he have to cling on to the office?"

But Agarwal insists that he continues to be LCP president. "If a few members of the party hold a meeting somewhere and adopt a resolution, it has no meaning," he asserted. "Barring one member of the party executive, who was bought over by the chief minister, all other members of the executive are with me; and the party constitution does not permit anybody other than this body to take such a major decision."

Meanwhile, apprehending a conflict, the state administration has deployed a strong police force outside the party office.

EARLIER REPORTS:
Naresh Agarwal sacked from UP government
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LCP splits, Naresh Agarwal expelled
'Rajnath spiked Agarwal's plans to embarrass BJP'

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