In a 1960 letter to President Rajendra Prasad, Congress leader Dwarka Prasad Mishra criticized the inclusion of dubious characters in politics.
New Delhi: In the elections of Jharkhand and Maharashtra, questions are being raised regarding Congress’s top leader Rahul Gandhi’s campaigning for his controversial allies. People are asking why Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders don’t seem hesitant about supporting parties in Jharkhand that have a leader facing life imprisonment for murder accusations, or in Maharashtra, those linked to leaders accused of involvement in horrific riots, bomb blasts, and alleged ties to the infamous criminal and terrorist Dawood Ibrahim. There are numerous such incidents and facts that have surfaced over the years within the Congress party.
An excerpt penned by Pandit Dwarka Prasad Mishra, regarded as a “Chanakya” of Congress, on March 28, 1960, read, “People with questionable character are getting a place in politics. The President of the State Congress is a gentleman who, during 1942, was collecting donations for the War Fund and has been convicted for several crimes. Recently, Congress elected a gentleman to the Rajya Sabha who was a police informer in 1942, with his name documented in their files. It’s futile to say anything about governance.” It was, to the President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
This piece of evidence in Indian archives proves there should be no surprise or concern regarding Congress’s current state or direction.
Now that the legislative assembly elections are coming, Congress’ regional leaders, candidates, and workers face the biggest dilemma, should they wear saffron for Uddhav-Aditya Thackeray, or adopt green for Sharad-Supriya Pawar?
Having struggled all their lives against Sharad Pawar’s associates, for Indira, Rajiv, Sonia, and Rahul Gandhi, what should they do now?
The most interesting fact is that Sharad Pawar has changed camps and rebelled against Indira Gandhi, Vasantdada Patil, and Pratibha Patil, far more than Haryana’s “Aya Ram, Gaya Ram.” He even formed parties and crafted alliances, dreaming of becoming Prime Minister or President. Now, he is doing everything possible to make his daughter Supriya the Chief Minister.
While the same could be said of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena, and Ajit-Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party leaders or workers, the difference is that the BJP and Shiv Sena leaders have worked together for decades on similar ideologies, and Ajit Pawar and his associates agree they are benefiting from their partnership, with Devendra Fadnavis in power.
In Jharkhand, Congress and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM or the Soren family) share a history of rivalry before the state’s formation. Then they are laden with corruption and crime. Hemant Soren, as Chief Minister, is also entangled in serious accusations like his father. Shibu Soren, founder of the JMM and former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, has been embroiled in multiple legal controversies. In 2006, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 1994 murder of his private secretary, Shashi Nath Jha, though the Delhi High Court acquitted him in 2007. He was also involved in the 1993 JMM bribery scandal, where he and other JMM MPs allegedly accepted bribes to support the Narasimha Rao government in a no-confidence vote, though the Supreme Court ultimately dismissed the case. Additionally, in early 2024, the Delhi High Court allowed Lokpal proceedings against Soren to investigate allegations of disproportionate assets. His son, Hemant, who is currently the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, faces his own allegations. In 2022, he was accused of granting himself a mining lease while in office, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. More recently, in January 2024, the Enforcement Directorate arrested him in connection with a money laundering investigation tied to a land scam, where he was allegedly a key beneficiary in fraudulent land transactions.
Rahul Gandhi is speaking everywhere about the condition of tribals and backward castes. He criticises prime minister Narendra Modi’s government and the BJP for favouring capitalists.
Rahul does not want to be reminded that in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (before and after division), loyal tribal leaders from Indira’s era, like Dilip Singh Bhuria, Kantilal Bhuria, and Arvind Netam, were never made Chief Ministers? How many backward, Dalit, or tribal Congress CMs have been appointed in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand? Why was Ajit Jogi, with serious corruption allegations, first appointed MP and then CM? Why were honest leaders like Siddheshwar Prasad in Bihar or Sitaram Kesari never presented as CM or PM candidates?
Regarding capitalists, from Nehru to Manmohan’s rule, Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis, Adanis, and Dalmias received maximum support from the NDA government, allowing them to expand rapidly during Modi’s tenure to compete with multinational companies.
Even during Manmohan Singh’s tenure, one Adani group factory was set up in Shanghai, China’s industrial hub.
Did the Congress party or its prominent leaders not take funds from these groups? Apart from his padayatra (foot march), do the special planes Rahul Gandhi flies in belong to ordinary workers?
During Congress-rule, bankrupt, Jet Airways and its owner receive maximum benefits.
As for the media, how many journalists from backward castes or tribal communities work in the party’s newspaper or companies funded by them?
The famous Hindi phrase, “I set out to find evil, but none was worse than me”, can be used here for Congress top leader who is now the face of the party.
The author served as an editor in Patna for three years during the Jharkhand statehood movement observing Shibu Soren and Suraj Mandal’s activities. He also has met them In Delhi in the Parliament.