Will State Congress be able to stop further exodus?

Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Suresh Pachouri, former MLA Sanjay Shukla and Vishal Patel on Saturday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Bhopal. The move came as an alarming situation for Congress leadership in the State. Pachouri, who was close to the Gandhi family, was Union Minister OF State For Defence (defence production and supplies), and also served as a four-time Rajya Sabha member of the grand old party. Although since last few years, his activities in party and public domain was confined to a limited events. Besides, Sanjay Shukla, who was given ticket for Mayor’s post from Indore lost the elections. But his constant interaction with public was intact. He was the one from Congress who had won the Assembly election from Indore. Grand old party had expressed confidence in him in recent years. Although he comes from a family known for BJP background.

 

Reacting to the Congress’ latest big-name exit ahead of the general elections, which are likely to be held between April and May, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan blamed it on the ‘lack of leadership’ in the Congress party. Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Chouhan, who has entered the Lok Sabha fray from Vidisha, said, “It seems Rahul Gandhi will breathe easy only after finishing off the Congress. It will be in line with what Mahatma Gandhi suggested the Congress should do. All good leaders in the Congress are fed up with the party’s rudderless and directionless affairs. The Congress appears to be on the verge of extinction”, he said. The development comes a few days after there were speculations around Congress veteran Kamal Nath joining BJP. Later, clearing the air, Congress leadership in the state confirmed that these were just rumours, and that he is a Congress person and will continue to be a Congress person.

 

A few days later, Nath hinted that he was ready to retire from politics if the party wanted that. He told the party workers at Chhindwara that “If you want to bid farewell to Kamal Nath, it’s your choice. I am ready to leave. I don’t want to impose myself. This is a matter of your choice.” Notably, during the former CM Kamal Nath’s switchover speculations, Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Umang Singhar and other top leaders had spoken to MLAs one on one to hear out their grievances. The focus was on MLAs, former legislators and Congress functionaries known to be close to Nath and his son and MP Nakul Nath. But major chunk of party leader from another camp has now switched the party. As ‘The Hitavada’ had reported earlier for Patwari more challenge is from within the party rather than the Opposition.