BHOPAL: All doesn’t seem to be going well within the ruling Congress in Madhya Pradesh. Two days after ex-union minister and Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia publicly declared he would hit streets, if the promises made in party’s 2018 assembly poll manifesto weren’t fulfilled, Chief Minister Kamal Nath responded to his colleague saying he can do whatever he wants to.
When asked by journalists in Delhi on Saturday about Scindia’s statements made at a rally in MP’s Tikamgarh district on Thursday, the CM and state Congress chief Kamal Nath responded, “toh utar jaayein (let him hit the streets if he wants to).”
Earlier on Friday, when the CM was asked Scindia’s statements, he had said that a manifesto is for five years and not five months.
On Thursday, while addressing a public meeting in Tikamgarh district, the former union minister Scindia had declared he would hit the streets of MP, if promises in party’s 2018 poll manifesto weren’t fulfilled.
Speaking about the pending demand of guest faculties to regularize their services, which was part of Congress’s 2018 polls manifesto in MP, Scindia had said on Thursday, “I heard your (guest faculties) demand earlier also and supported it. Fulfilment of your demand forms part of our 2018 assembly polls manifesto, just have patience as our manifesto is a sacred book for us. But if the assurances in the manifesto aren’t fulfilled, I'll join you on the streets for taking up your cause. Always remember I'll be your sword as well as a shield if the assurances made in the manifesto aren't fulfilled."
A day later in Ashok Nagar district (a part of Guna Lok Sabha seat, which he lost in 2019 Lok Sabha polls) on Friday, Scindia repeated his promise of taking to streets against his own party government if the guest faculties' long pending demand for regularisation of services isn't fulfilled.
Scindia leaves MP Congress Coordination Committee before it ends
Meanwhile, an important meeting of the MP Congress Coordination Committee was held in Delhi on Saturday. The meeting was attended by senior leaders, including the CM and state party chief Kamal Nath, ex-CM Digvijaya Singh, party’s national general secretary in-charge for MP affairs Deepak Babaria and ex-state Congress chief Arun Yadav.
According to unconfirmed reports, Scindia left the meeting before it ended, causing a flutter in political circles.
While senior Congress leaders present at the meeting remained tight-lipped over the matter, informed sources within the party confided that Scindia had already told senior leaders before the meeting that he would leave early as he had some prior engagements.
However, MP state Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said in Bhopal, “reports about him (Scindia) having left the meeting before it ended or boycotting the meeting are baseless. He left with other party leaders after the meeting was over.”
Congress general secretary Deepak Babaria also rejected reports of uneasiness within MPCC as baseless. "Scindia was very much part of the meeting and discussions there. He had told me before the meeting that he will leave the meeting before it ends, as he had some prior commitments. So he left it before the end. The CM and Scindia had cordial talks and both leaders will meet next week either in Bhopal or Delhi."
Sources within the party told Express that recent statements by Scindia are nothing, but efforts to pressurize the party to either make him the MP Congress chief or send him to Rajya Sabha through the elections slated in April 2019.
Scindia had lost to BJP candidate KP Yadav from pocket borough Guna parliamentary constituency of Madhya Pradesh in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.