Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 27: Indication of the Gandhis loosing grip over the party is becoming evident from the rebellion the Congress is facing in three states it is in power on its own ignoring the warnings from the high command.
Even as the health condition of the Rajasthan chief minister has provided the Congress high command some respite from an early fire-fighting operation, there does not seem to be any cease-fire from the dissidents in Punjab and Chhattisgarh.
The Congress is doing firefighting in Chhattisgarh and Punjab over leadership issue, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s health issues could temporarily put off a solution in the third Congress-ruled State that has witnessed similar tension.
On Friday, Gehlot underwent angioplasty and this could delay the proposed expansion/reshuffle of his Council of Ministers to accommodate supporters of his arch rival, Sachin Pilot, before the start of the Assembly session on September 9, though there are clear indications that the patience of the Pilot camp is thinning out though it had maintained silence so far.
Earlier, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in charge of Rajasthan, Ajay Maken, had indicated that the process of Cabinet expansion would be over by August 15.
However, last week, he changed his stance, saying Cabinet expansion in Rajasthan was “work in progress” and didn’t want to be bound by any fixed timeline.
Though the Pilot camp has maintained silence so far, their patience is running thin as the party’s top leadership has not been able to ‘deliver’ on its promise of accommodating all factions for several weeks now.
Though in Punjab the party president Sonia Gandhi asserted her authority in appointing Navjot Singh Sidhu as the state party chief overthrowing the opposition from the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh as well as Parliamentarians, bitter factionalism continues to play out publically in the State. Her appointee Sidhu has refused to cease fire against the chief minister and Amarinder Singh in turn kept bitterly attacking the cricket-turned-politician and his two advisors who have sparked huge controversies by making objectionable comments on Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan.
Sidhu is also said to have complained of “lack of freedom in decision-making.” The AICC in charge of Punjab Harish Rawat said, “I can’t question him on the basis of media speculation… I will see the context of the statement. He is party chief, who other than him can take decisions?” Rawat said he would meet former party chief Rahul Gandhi on Saturday on the Sidhu issue.
Amid controversy over his social media posts, Malvinder Singh Mali Friday quit as advisor to Sidhu. Mali posted on Facebook that he was stepping down from the post. His other controversial advisor Pyare Lal Garg, who too has been asked to quit, is yet to submit his resignation.
In his statement, Mali has also levelled allegations against Amarinder Singh and said Punjab had been yearning for change and fighting for the rights of minorities, human rights, democratic rights, but the current politics in the state was suffering from intellectual poverty that did not tolerate any change in the ruling dispensation. He said he would continue his fight with the help of like-minded people.
Attacking the Congress high command and Harish Rawat without naming them, Mali said Punjab has become a gold mine for the high commands and Punjab in-charges in Delhi. Mali had invited the ire of Rawat as well as the Congress high command over his views on Article 370 and Kashmir, and a sketch of Indira Gandhi terming her a “tormentor.” After he refused to withdraw the posts, Sidhu was advised by Rawat to sack Mali. Sidhu had, however, dug his heels in. Rawat had even gone public in saying that if Sidhu did not sack such advisers, he would do so himself.
In Chhattisgarh where Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo has openly challenged the chief minister Bhupesh Baghel’s leadership reminding the party of its promise of rotational system, the party leaders and members have gone down to the level of defying the high command in their show of strength. While Singh Deo hanged on to the reported agreement at the time of formation of the ministry in 2018 of changing the chief minister mid-term, the incumbent Baghel is publicly parading Ministers and MLAs who are supporting him in the power tussle.
And such a display of strength took place despite the central leadership making it clear that there was no need for Chhattisgarh MLAs to come to Delhi. Baghel headed to Delhi along with 9 MLAs and members of the All India Professional Congress members on Friday morning.
Between Thursday and Friday, around 35 MLAs have travelled to Delhi despite Punia and state Congress President Mohan Markam asking them to follow discipline and respect the high command. The Congress has 70 MLAs in the state.
Five cabinet ministers and an MP were also seen standing by Baghel, in what is being seen as a show of strength by him.
Sources said the issue of a rotational CM is still open, and the high command wants an amicable settlement. The arrival of so many party MLAs signal that Baghel was mounting pressure on the central leadership. The move is seen also an attempt to send a message that he has a clear majority in the legislature party.
“I don’t want to comment on anyone’s statement,” Baghel said. When asked as to why so many MLAs are suddenly travelling to Delhi, Baghel said, “They are going to meet their leaders. No one has been able to travel due to Covid-19 restrictions and hence, they are going now. I, too, have been called and so I am going.”
But even as Rahul Gandhi reportedly was batting in favour of rotational leadership in Chhattisgarh, Baghel after his meeting with the former party president, his second this week, told media persons that there was “no rotation formula” as suggested by Singh Deo. He claimed that he enjoyed the support of all the 70 party MLAs and had invited Gandhi to visit the state to see the situation for himself.
