Are you shocked by Jyotiraditya Scindia’s decision?
Certainly. It has come as a big jolt to the party. Scindia was one of the most prominent leaders of our party. He was a member of the Congress Working Committee and a general secretary of the party. He has, over the years, been entrusted with various important responsibilities. His decision to switch over to the BJP will definitely have a deleterious effect on us. Our government in Madhya Pradesh is in a difficult position now since he has taken away a number of MLAs with him. It is now destined to collapse.
Scindia’s decision is shocking as, so far as my knowledge goes, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had been treating him as her own child. And I wonder how Scindia could decide to join the BJP, a party against which he has been fighting an ideological battle for long.
Scindia was known to have been upset ever since he was passed over for the post of chief minister.
Many of our leaders could be upset. But that does not mean that you switch over to an ideologically opposite party. He was a member of the CWC. If he had any issues, he could have discussed them in the highest decision-making body of the party. These are lame excuses. Maybe, it is about his ambition which could not be fulfilled by the party at this juncture. When the Congress party was in power, it gave him important portfolios at the Centre. Now, the Congress does not have the capacity to offer him such a role.
Is the development a fallout of a clash between the young leaders and the old guard in the party?
There are differences among leaders in every party. Is everything hunky-dory in the BJP? No. There can be tension among leaders. This cannot be used to justify your decision to join your ideological adversary.
Could the Congress leadership have gone the extra mile to prevent Scindia from leaving?
To the best of my knowledge, the Congress leadership had offered him a Rajya Sabha seat. He might have been nurturing other hopes or ambitions. If you ask for the sky, the Congress cannot get if for you.
Will the development have a ripple effect on the Congress in other states?
There might be a simmering discontent in other state units. But I do not think Madhya Pradesh will have a ripple effect or a cascading impact on the party in other states like Rajasthan or Chhattisgarh because the governments in these states are firmly ensconced.
Is this a wake-up call for the Congress to deal with the confusion on the leadership issue?
There is no confusion on the leadership issue. Soniaji and Rahulji are our leaders. I am aware of some leaders talking about a third option. Can that be possible? It is just wild imagination.