The political crisis in Madhya Pradesh that played out over the past week and culminated in the resignation of senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has given rise to a multitude of reactions in the Congress.
Scindia was a minister in the Manmohan Singh governments and was considered one of the most articulate faces in the Congress as its numbers atrophied in the Narendra Modi era. Scindia, the scion of the Gwalior royal family, had been perceived as a rival of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. Supporters of Jyotiraditya Scindia alleged Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh had ganged up to cut down Scindia to size.
The latest political crisis in Madhya Pradesh appeared to be related to the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls.
Shobha Oza, the spokesperson for the Congress in Madhya Pradesh, apparently alluding to Scindia's resignation, tweeted "today is the day of true freedom" for Congress workers in the Gwalior-Chambal belt. Oza tweeted it was a "festival of liberation" for all Congress workers “whose rights were being sacrificed for the personal interests of the palace and its loyalists”.
The Gwalior-Chambal region had been considered a 'bastion' of influence for Scindia.
Arun Yadav, a former president of the Madhya Pradesh Congress unit, tweeted the Scindia clan "had backed the British in the freedom struggle". NSUI activists have announced they would burn an effigy of Scindia at the Congress office in Bhopal on Tuesday.
Pilot's patch-up bid
The Congress had sent emissaries to Scindia in a bid to pacify him. Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot tried to reach out to Scindia, but failed. The disgruntled Scindia did not respond to Sachin Pilot's message, sources said.
Pilot had tweeted, "I am hopeful that the current crisis in Madhya Pradesh ends soon and that leaders are able to resolve differences. The state needs a stable government in order to fulfil the promises make to the electorate."
Ironically, Sachin Pilot has a background similar to Jyotiraditya Scindia. Both Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia were considered to be members of the 'young brigade' of Rahul Gandhi. Both their fathers had served as ministers in Congress governments. While Sachin Pilot's father, Rajesh Pilot, died in a car accident in 2000, Jyotiraditya Scindia's father, Madhavrao Scindia, was killed in an air crash in 2001.
Sachin Pilot, too, had a troubled relationship with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, though the Congress has apparently been able to pacify him with the post of chief of the party in Rajasthan.
Reactions
The resignation of Scindia has already set off rumblings in the Congress. Haryana Congress leader Kuldeep Bishnoi tweeted the departure of Scindia "is a big blow” to the Congress.
“... He was a central pillar in the party & the leadership should’ve done more to convince him to stay. Like him, there are many other devoted INC leaders across the country who feel alienated, wasted & discontented. India’s oldest party needs to empower young leaders who have the capacity to work hard & resonate with the masses,” Bishnoi said.
Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha, a popular face on news shows, put up a cryptic tweet that "Leadership is not everyone’s cup of tea. Or coffee." The tweet by Jha was interpreted as being criticism of the perceived drifted in the top leadership of the Congress.