Cong snubs rebels By propping up Scindia aide

The Congress decision to name Surendra Choudhury, a loyalist of Jyotiraditya Scindia, as the party’s dalit and deputy CM face, is a signal that Guna MP Scindia may be declared the party’s CM nominee before the year-end polls.

Bhopal: Two major announcements made recently by the AICC general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, Deepak Babaria, seem to have rattled the dissident camps in the party here.

First, he declared the working president of MP Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Surendra Choudhury, dalit face of the party. The veteran leader from the backward region of Bundelkhand would be the deputy chief minister if Congress returned to power in MP in the forthcoming Assembly elections, Mr Babaria announced.

Three days later, he dropped a bombshell, particularly in the dissident camps in the party by declaring that either PCC president Kamal Nath or party’s campaign committee chairman for MP Jyotiraditya Scindia would be projected as chief ministerial nominee of the party, shattering other aspirants for the coveted post.

The two significant announcements by Mr Babaria, perceived as the “voice of the Congress high command”, have silenced the rebel camps in the party.

The development has given rise to suspicion in a strong section of the party that decks are being cleared for Mr Scindia to lead Congress in the November-December Assembly elections in MP.

The scion of the Gwalior royal family has an edge over his rival chief ministerial aspirant and septuagenarian leader Mr Nath as far as the age factor and mass appeal of the leaders are concerned.

The Congress leadership’s decision to declare Mr Choudhury, a staunch loyalist of Mr Scindia, dalit face of the party and deputy chief minister candidate, has revived speculations that Mr Scindia (49) may be declared the chief minister nominee just before the year-end polls with Mr Nath (71) playing the role of a mentor.

“Mr Nath’s handicaps to lead the party to power have come to the fore in the last three months. He has often appeared helpless in curbing factionalism in the party. Besides, his major shortcoming seemed to be his disconnect with the party workers and leaders across the state barring his home district of Chhindwara,” a party functionary, owing allegiance to none of the factional leaders, told this newspaper.

Congress in MP is divided primarily into three factions led by Mr Nath, Mr Scindia and former chief minister Mr Digvijay Singh, although others such as Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Ajey Singh, former minister Suresh Pachouri and former PCC president and prominent OBC leader Arun Yadav have their own areas of influence in the state.

Of them, Mr Digvijay Singh, Mr Nath and Mr Scindia are believed to be fierce competitors for chief minister’s post.

Although Mr Singh has distanced himself from the race for the post, his statements have few buyers in Congress here due to his image as a wily leader.

Incidentally, Mr Babaria’s announcements came in the midst of ongoing “Ekta Yatra” and “Nyay Yatra” undertaken by Mr Digvijay Singh and Mr Ajey Singh respectively across the state.

Mr Digvijay Singh has launched “Ekta Yatra” soon after he completed his six-month-long Narmada Parikrama, a spiritual tour across the bank of the river Narmada, to “unite” Congress workers and leaders in the state ahead of the polls.

Significantly, Mr Singh had earlier opposed tooth and nail the idea of declaring Mr Scindia a chief ministerial nominee and thrown his weight behind Mr Nath for the PCC chief post.

“The yatras undertaken by the two senior leaders have raised prospects of creating parallel power centres undermining the authority of PCC president. Hence, Mr Babaria chose to step in to send a clear message to workers that leaders other than Mr Nath and Mr Scindia stood no chance to for the post of chief minister,” sources close to Mr Nath said.

“It is the party high command which will decide the chief ministerial candidate, not Mr Babaria. His statements on such delicate issues will only foment factionalism. It may prove suicidal for the party,” a rebel leader warned.

“Mr Babaria is a representative of the party high command here by virtue of his position. He must have received sanction from the high command for the statements he issues,” Congress spokesman here Manak Agrawal said, amid signs that the war within Congress, which is facing a do or die situation in the Assembly elections, has just begun.

New power equation

• Congress has named  Surendra Choudhury, 51, an aide of MP Jyotiraditya Scindia,  as the dalit face of the party, by announcing that the leader from the backward region of Bundelkhand would be deputy CM if the party returns to power
• The announcement is a boost for Mr Scindia, 49,  who has a clear edge over his rival chief ministerial aspirant and septuagenarian leader Kamal Nath, 71, in terms of age
• Congress in MP is divided primarily into three factions led by Mr Nath, Mr Scindia and former chief minister Mr Digvijay Singh