BHOPAL: Congress leader Digvijay Singh today sought to play down the significance of party leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi charting out an independent course, saying only his "wife, son and an MLA" are with him and called his exit as "good" for the organisation.
Jogi, who had been long associated with Congress and considered a staunch Gandhi family loyalist, today made a formal announcement to float a new political outfit at his Assembly constituency Marwahi in Chhattisgarh, a development which comes two years ahead of the State polls.
"He is leaving Congress, it is good..it was his decision.
Except his wife, son and an MLA nobody went with him," Singh told reporters when asked about Jogi's decision.
The Congress General Secretary recalled the time when he and Jogi worked together in the party.
"When Jogi became the Rajya Sabha member, I was the State Congress President (of undivided Madhya Pradesh). Later when he was made the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh (carved out of MP in 2000), I was the CM of Madhya Pradesh."
The Congress stalwart said the alleged fixing of Antagarh Assembly by-election in 2014, in which Jogi and his son Amit's names had figured, eroded his faith in the first Chief Minister of the tribal-dominated State.
"My faith in him was lowered the day when he sold the Congress candidate (who withdrew from the fray in Antagarh bypoll) to BJP," Singh said.
Jogi has denied any wrongdoing and claimed the tapes of alleged bypoll fixing were forged.
Singh was here to take part in a meeting of Congress MLAs and leaders ahead of the crucial June 11 Rajya Sabha biennial elections.