MP: MP Congress rejig sparks dissensions in party, senior leader laments veteran leaders still calling shots

In a veiled attack on two veteran leaders and former chief ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh, senior Congress leader Ajey Singh, son of former CM late Arjun Singh, said that ‘Leaders responsible for the decline of the party in Madhya Pradesh are still calling shots in the party’, as indicated by the revamped party.

Mr Nath and Mr Singh have been made members in the state executive committee of the reconstituted Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) in Madhya Pradesh.

“For over two decades, the same people who are responsible for the current sorry state of affairs in the party are still influential in the party. This is the misfortune of Congress”, he said.

It took nearly four months for AICC leadership to revamp the party after the new PCC chief was appointed and it was expected that there would be a major shake up in the party to rejuvenate it, he said.

But it was quite disappointing that the same people responsible for the erosion of the party’s base in Madhya Pradesh over the last two decades are still influential in the party, he said.

“Then, only god can save the party”, he added.

The former minister said that he would put forth his view on the reconstitution of the party at the right forum.

Congress spokesman Mukesh Nayak has sought to downplay the development, saying that ‘We will speak to him (Mr Singh)’.

AICC has revamped the Congress in Madhya Pradesh three days ago by constituting a jumbo PCC body with 17 vice presidents, 71 general secretaries and 16 executive committee members.

Sources said that at least half a dozen newly appointed vice-presidents belonged to Mr Nath’s camp while over 50 percent of the newly appointed general secretaries were his loyalists.

Similarly, at least 17 general secretaries in the revamped PCC are believed to be from Digvijay Singh’s camp whereas 19 general secretaries belonged to the camp of the state Congress chief Jitu Patwari.