Supporters say marginalised Scindia ready to leave Cong

Bhopal: Veteran leader Jyotiraditya Scindia may have made up his mind to snap his two-decade-long association with Congress over his “marginalisation” in the party. His supporters in the party have dropped enough hints that the scion of ex-Gwalior royal family has already begun preparations to start a new political innings sans Congress.

“History may repeat itself in Madhya Pradesh with Mr Scindia seriously mulling to follow footsteps of his grandmother late Vijayaraje Scindia who pulled down the state Congress government in MP in 1967 to avenge her humiliation by the then chief minister D.P. Mishra,” one of close aides of Mr Scindia said while indicating  the former Union minister’s future course of action in the event of he being denied the post of Pradesh Congress Committee chief in MP.

Incidentally, his disclosure coincided with a poetic tweet by Mr Scindia’s son Aryan in which he said one must retaliate if one’s dignity was hurt.

The tweet came in wake of purported remarks made by chief minister Kamal Nath before Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi that Mr Scindia was only a leader of a particular region in Madhya Pradesh and could be ignored by the party leadership. “Enough is enough”, the Congress leader quipped echoing the sentiments in Scindia camp. “Mr Scindia has already sought views of his followers in the party on his future course of action.” His supporters have suggested him to leave Congress,” the Congress leader said.

Significantly, Mr Scindia was coming on a two-day tour of Gwalior-Chambal region, said to be his stronghold, on September 3 to interact with his supporters across the region to take a final decision on it, sources disclosed to this newspaper.

Mr Scindia had ensured that Congress bagged 26 out of 34 seats in Gwalior-Chambal region in the 2018 assembly elections in MP. Besides, he had ensured victory of at least 10 Congress leaders, considered his loyalists, in regions of Bundelkhand, Mahakoshal and Malwa in MP in the last polls.

Congress has returned to power in MP after a gap of 15 years in the 2018 assembly elections by security 114 out of total 230 seats.