On one hand, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh is talking about strengthening the Congress organisation at the grassroots level. He underlines it was much needed in the fight against the ruling BJP and to oust it from power in Delhi. But on the other, in his own State Madhya Pradesh, the State Congress’s Media Department has been in turmoil for the past 24 hours. It seems that factionalism revisited the grand old party.

 

The issue revolves around a talent hunt program for party spokespersons. Different committees and orders were issued by various officials for the same task, clearly demonstrating a lack of co-ordination. Amid all these, Mukesh Nayak, President of Media Department of the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee and a former minister in the State Government, has resigned from his post, saying that senior leaders should make way for new people in the organisation. Although his resignation was rejected.

 

The party sought to send a message that there was no room for infighting or factionalism within the party. The root of the controversy was the ongoing talent hunt within the Congress media department. In his resignation letter addressed to MP Congress Committee President Jitu Patwari, Nayak said that during the management committee meeting held a day earlier, he had appealed for creating space for new leadership and has now voluntarily stepped down from his position. In the letter, Nayak described his two-year experience of working with an honest, hardworking and capable party president as positive and memorable.

 

He extended his best wishes and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve the party in the media department. Meanwhile, following the directions of MP Congress Committee President Jitu Patwari, a 13-member committee has been constituted under the party’s Media Department for the ‘Talent Hunt’ programme. The initiative aims to identify and promote new talent within the organisation. For the smooth implementation of the Talent Hunt program, all districts across Madhya Pradesh have been divided into clusters, and cluster in-charges have also been appointed. The Talent Hunt programme is expected to strengthen the party’s media network and encourage fresh participation at the grassroots level. Talking to ‘The Hitavada’, Congress leaders say everything is all right. Nayakji is our senior leader.