Internal rifts, leadership issues, and discontent within Congress hinder progress and cohesion in Madhya Pradesh.
New Delhi: The recent meeting of the Congress top leadership of Madhya Pradesh with Rahul Gandhi exposed the internal rifts within the state unit. Apart from state general secretary Bhanwar Jitendra Singh state unit chief Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Umang Singhar blamed each other for the party’s decline in the state.
According to party leaders, Gandhi advised the three top leaders to work unitedly and ensure that all the leaders are consulted when making decisions.
A party insider said, “Rahul did not mention former chief ministers Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath, but made a general statement that all the senior leaders should be consulted while making important decisions. However, it is also true that these two leaders are not being given much consideration by the high command. Both have lost the confidence of the central leadership and cannot make any appointments from Madhya Pradesh, indicating that they are losing their influence within the organisation.”
According to senior leaders, when the executive body was being formed, Patwari requested a list of names from all the senior leaders. However, he did not consider the names suggested by Ajay Singh, Arun Yadav, and Kamal Nath, although he did include the names proposed by Digvijaya Singh.
Moreover, according to Congress leaders, a tussle is brewing between Patwari and Singhar. The Singhar’s supporters say that Patwari does not listen to anyone, even the Leader of Opposition (Singhar) when he makes suggestions for the party’s political stand or organisational growth. On the other hand, Patwari’s supporters claim that Singhar’s actions in public undermine the stature of the state unit chief.
A leader said, “When Singhar instructs the design of posters, he suggests using a smaller photo of Patwari, even though the size should be the same as that of Singhar’s photo.”
A senior Congress leader added, “They are both prominent leaders, and by protocol, they should be treated equally. They must respect each other’s will. But their relationship is strained, and both engage in actions that harm the internal dynamics of the party. A large section of people think that Jitu Patwari is more at fault, as he is the state unit chief and should know how to handle dissent or disagreement. But, he prefers to do things on his own.”
According to political observers, the party has been successful in reducing the number of office bearers in the state unit, which has helped in bringing clarity to the hierarchy. Earlier, there were thousands of office bearers, but were reduced to around 250.
A political analyst added, “Unless there is a correction in the central leadership, and the party changes its feedback system while holding the General Secretary in charge (Jitendra Singh) accountable, it won’t be able to make any progress. There is discontentment within the party. Ten office bearers have resigned, feeling that they have been treated unjustly. If a leader has held a particular position, they expect to be elevated, but several leaders were demoted, which led to their resignations.”