Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 26: With Punjab still boiling, the leadership crisis has deepened in Chhattisgarh causing serious headache for the Congress high command. The Congress has called all its Chhattisgarh MLAs to Delhi and has also summoned back the chief minister Bhupesh Baghel in a worsening leadership crisis in the state.
Baghel, who is expected to reach the national capital by Friday, is due to meet the former president Rahul Gandhi to sort out the leadership issue as his health minister TS Singh Deo has reminded the party leadership of the rotational policy claimed to had been accepted by all at the time of the formation of the ministry in 2018. It will be Baghel’s second meeting with Gandhi within the week.
Party sources did not rule out a change of guard in the State, though Mr. Baghel is resisting it. On Tuesday, Baghel and Singh Deo had met Rahul Gandhi to resolve the issue. Deo had invoked the assurance made by Gandhi when he was leading the party in 2018 that he (Mr. Deo) would be handed over the reins of the State halfway through the government tenure. Following the meeting, party’s State in charge PL Punia told reporters that the leadership change issue was not discussed, indicating Baghel would continue.
The Congress has 68 MLAs in the 90 member Assembly and its central leadership is said to be assessing the risk of effecting a leadership change. Rahul Gandhi is reportedly eager that the mid- course change of guard agreed upon by both leaders must be honoured. With the party’s position numerically very strong in the Assembly, the party high command is confident that a rebellion by either Singh Deo or Baghel can be reined in.
Baghel returned to Chhattisgarh on Wednesday to a rousing welcome at the airport by his supporters and loyalist MLAs. All along Thursday, more than 30 MLAs paid him a visit. Deo, on the other hand, continued to stay in Delhi. Sources close to him said he was told to remain in the Capital for further meetings. On Wednesday, he met party general secretary KC Venugopal, who has been entrusted with the responsibility of arriving at a compromise formula.
Deo said, “If a person plays in a team, then he can aspire to be the captain too. It’s not about his thoughts or aspirations. It’s about his capabilities and it is for the high command to take a decision.”
It would be a tough job for Venugopal to iron out a solution with both the leaders refusing to cede space. Sources said it was suggested that except for the Chief Minister’s post, Deo could be given other concessions, including admitting his loyalists in the Cabinet and weeding out those against him. He was also offered the Deputy Chief Minister’s post, but he is not too keen to take it up.
Though Baghel had earlier said he would abide by whatever decision the party high command take on the leadership, he was learnt to be adamant not to allow any change in the composition of his cabinet.
“Bhupesh Baghel has agreed to whatever decision the high command takes. He says he will be the Chief Minister as long as they wish,” Congress’s Chhattisgarh in-charge PL Punia said. He added that “both” Baghel and Deo have agreed to the leadership’s decision.
“At present Baghel in the Chief Minister,” Punia said. Deo has not returned to Chhattisgarh since that meeting. Asked by reporters on his claim to chief ministership, he had said: “On the leadership issue we have agreed to the decision of the high command.”
Baghel’s government completed two-and-a-half years in office in June. That is when Deo and his supporters started pressing for change, insisting that rotational chief ministership was the deal when the party took power in December 2018. Deo claims he was promised he would take over as Chief Minister after Baghel’s half-term on the basis of a rotational arrangement.
Sources close to Deo said he would not settle for anything less. If he’s not made Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, he will quit the government and maybe even the Congress, said sources. Deo “won’t join the BJP” but can’t work under Baghel anymore, they added.
After winning the Chhattisgarh election in 2018, the Congress faced tough negotiations with chief ministerial contenders including Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu.
Finally, both were taken on as ministers when Baghel took charge. Rahul Gandhi had tweeted a photo with the leaders, in a show of unity, with the message: “No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team. – Reid Hoffman.”
Reports, never confirmed, suggested the Chhattisgarh challengers had relented only when the Congress agreed to the formula of power-sharing between Baghel and Singh Deo. However, every time Baghel has been asked about such a formula, he has said he will readily step down if the party leadership asked him to.