New Delhi, Oct 17:
Former Union minister and All India Congress Committee general secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia not yet participating in the Jhabua bypoll campaign even as the campaigning would end on October 19 has started raising questions.
This has given opposition BJP a chance to take potshots at the Congress and its senior leaders and highlight the alleged factionalism in the ruling party of Madhya Pradesh.
Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Thursday that the Congress’s case in MP is like one heart shattering in numerous pieces (quoting a line of popular Hindi song – ek dil ke tukde hazar huey koi idhar gira koi udhar gira) and Scindia is moving around with one of the pieces while being ignored by others holding different pieces.
Scindia, who had campaigned intensively in the state during the 2018 Assembly and May 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is yet to hold even a single campaign meeting in Jhabua constituency despite being in the list of star campaigners.
Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria is contesting the Assembly bypoll from the Congress. He was given ticket though ex-MLA Javier Medha, considered close to Scindia, was also a front runner.
While Chief Minister Kamal Nath, ex-CM Digvijaya Singh, a number of ministers and other senior leaders have already campaigned for Bhuria in Jhabua, Scindia has been conspicuous by his absence as yet.
Interestingly, Scindia, one of the key probables for the post of MP Congress Committee president, intensively toured Gwalior-Chambal region during the past one week. On Thursday, however, he was campaigning in Maharashtra for Congress candidates.
Chouhan, while speaking to media, said that the Congress is now a party divided between mother and son, and those in Congress of the son (indicating Scindia) are now harassed and looking for new habitations. “In MP, Congress is divided into Kamal Nath Congress, Scindia Congress, Digvijaya Singh Congress, Ajay Singh Congress ete.,” he said.
“It is natural for Scindia to air discontent. Only he can say whether he was invited for campaigning or not, but such is the condition of the Congress in MP,” Chouhan said.
Scindia could not be contacted for comments. Sources said that his programme of campaigning in Jhabua is likely before October 19, but there was no official confirmation yet. Congress media cell chief Shobha Oza said that Scindia is currently campaigning in Maharashtra and when his campaign programme for Jhabua is received, it will be shared with the media.
