CP Joshi's CWC snub shows fall in political fortune

Jaipur: Rajasthan Congress veteran and AICC general secretary C.P. Joshi, the tallest Brahmin face of the party in the dessert state, has seen a dramatic fall in his political fortune.

The former Union minister who was once in-charge of 10 state units of the party has today lost his place in the Congress Working Committee — the highest decision-making body of the party.

Mr Joshi, who became famous after he lost the 2008 Assembly election by one vote in Nathdwara, is now only in-charge of Northeastern states.

Once considered a blue-eyed boy of Congress president Rahul Gandhi, he was recently stripped of the responsibility of crucial states such as West Bengal, Bihar and Assam.

Former MP and tribal leader Raghuveer Meena, a junior to Mr Joshi, was inducted into the CWC. More importantly, Mr Meena is loyalist of Mr Joshi’s party competitor Ashok Gehlot.

It would be interesting to see how Mr Joshi’s exit from the CWC impacts his stature in the state where he is seen as the third power centre and a contender for the chief minister’s post apart from former Ashok Gehlot and state PCC chief Sachin Pilot.

Obviously, things are not working in his favour at the moment, but Mr Joshi has himself to blame. The party not only lost elections, but also missed out on quite a few opportunities in the states under his charge.

The party, marginalised in the West Bengal, still continues to be a force to reckon with in the NE states. Partymen in these states have blamed him for poll losses. In Manipur, the Congress (28) was two short of majority, but the BJP with 21 seats formed the government, cutting deals with other parties and effecting defections from Congress, while Mr Joshi reached Imphal only after the results were announced.

In Tripura, he rejected a pre-poll alliance by Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, which later joined hands with the BJP. In Nagaland, PCC chief K.K. Therie predicted a defeat, holding Mr Joshi responsible for the cash crunch and of spending little time in the state. The Congress had contested 23 seats out of 60, even as five candidates pulled out due to lack of funds.

In Bihar where he was credited for stitching together the ‘Mahagatbandhan’ with RJD chief Lalu Yadav and JD (U) chief and chief minister Nitish Kumar, similar charges of neglect were levelled against him. Former Bihar Congress chief Ashok Choudhary, who along with three MLCs joined JD (U) in February this year, accuses Mr Joshi of spending more time outside the state. Mr Choudhary may be accused of bias because he was removed as state president, but it is true that the Congress was caught off guard when Mr Kumar announced parting of ways and joined hands with the NDA. Obviously, the trouble was brewing for quite some time, but Mr Joshi had no clue.