Bhopal:
The rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan’s Rajya Sabha nomination has not only handed the Congress a major political embarrassment in Madhya Pradesh, it seems to have also fueled fresh unrest within the party. What began as a legal and electoral setback on June 9 has now turned into a public display of factional tension.
A video from the party’s recent press conference has once again put the spotlight on former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh, state chief Jitu Patwari and state in-charge Harish Chaudhary. In the clip, Jitu Patwari is seen asking Digvijaya Singh to shift from his seat. Digvijaya Singh gets up and moves to a side chair. Moments later, Patwari is heard saying, “Please stay right here, Sir,” but by then Digvijaya Singh had already moved aside. Harish Chaudhary then takes the seat next to Digvijaya Singh, followed by Meenakshi Natarajan.
The BJP has now seized the video and turned it into a political weapon against the Congress. BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal said that senior leaders should not be humiliated in this manner. He said internal discord and differences of opinion have existed within the Congress since its inception, but there should be no conflict with senior leaders. According to him, differences of opinion are one thing, but mutual insults and blame games within a party are another. Khandelwal said the Congress now needs to introspect the direction in which it is heading.
Jitu Patwari, however, has denied that Digvijaya Singh was made to move deliberately. He said, “I did not make him move. Digvijaya Singh ji is our senior leader and mentor.” According to Patwari, the request was made only to adjust seating so that Harish Chaudhary could sit beside Meenakshi Natarajan.
But this is not the only video that has raised eyebrows. Two earlier clips from the same June 9 press conference had already sparked discussion. In one, Digvijaya Singh is seen gesturing to call JP Dhanopia, while Harish Chaudhary appears to signal him to remain calm. Moments later, Digvijaya Singh is seen folding his hands before Chaudhary. In another video, Patwari asks Digvijaya Singh to speak on the microphone, but the former Chief Minister refuses.
The visuals have given fresh ammunition to the BJP at a time when the Congress is already battling the fallout of Meenakshi Natarajan’s rejected nomination. What should have been a united political response to the Rajya Sabha controversy has instead become a discussion on Congress infighting.
Former minister PC Sharma, however, defended Digvijaya Singh and said it is impossible for anyone to sideline him in the present political scenario. He said former chief ministers Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh remain essential to the Congress and that party workers were naturally demoralised after the Meenakshi Natarajan episode. Sharma added that Digvijaya Singh speaks only after careful deliberation and that the high command will decide the future course of action.
