Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge with get together chief Rahul Gandhi at a public assembly in the course of the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ in Amethi on February 19, 2024. (PTI)
A political upheaval of the type unfolding in Himachal Pardesh is alleged to be awaiting the Congress in Amethi and Rae Bareli, identified to be Gandhi household bastions. There, too, the BJP is ready to capitalise on the alleged resentment over the Congress management skipping the Ram Mandir occasion on Janaury 22
The gap between Shimla and Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi and Rae Bareli is a bit over 1,000km. However the political storm brewing in Himachal Pradesh — which noticed the Congress’s Rajya Sabha candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi lose to the BJP regardless of having extra numbers, leaving the state authorities teetering on the brink – could quickly be seen within the Gandhi household bastions in UP.
Each crises are linked by a standard thread – the grand outdated get together’s choice to boycott the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ or consecration ceremony on the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
The Himachal Disaster
Six Congress MLAs — Rajinder Rana, Sudhir Sharma, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Devinder Kumar Bhutoo, Ravi Thakur, and Chetanya Sharma — who cross-voted for the BJP’s Rajya Sabha candidate and even abstained from voting on Price range within the Meeting in defiance of the get together whip are thought of to have been near former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and the late Congress chief Virbhadra Singh who was an ardent ‘Ram bhakt’ (devotee of Lord Ram).
In a state that has 95.17% Hindu inhabitants, the highest management’s choice to boycott the Ayodhya occasion has brought about harm and even anger. The BJP has tried to capitalise on the interior turmoil within the Himachal Congress, even utilizing former Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh’s proximity to Virbhadra Singh’s son and minister in Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s cupboard. Sources within the saffron get together stated the “overwhelming anger” on the Congress management over “disrespecting” Lord Ram made it a straightforward job.
In reality, Virbhadra Singh’s son Vikramaditya Singh went in opposition to the choice taken by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and took half within the consecration ceremony in January and resigned from the cupboard as drama unfolded in Himachal Pradesh, solely to be coaxed into withdrawing it after Congress trouble-shooter DK Shivakumar stepped in.
Again in January, Vikramaditya Singh had stated: “It is a once-in-a-lifetime alternative to be part of this historic day and as a Hindu having religion in ‘Dev Samaj’, it’s my duty to be current on the event and witness the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ of Lord Ram.”
Amethi-Rae Bareli’s ‘Ram’ Kahani
In additional hassle for the Congress, the Himachal drama may be a trailer. Sources within the BJP counsel an identical political upheaval is awaiting the grand outdated get together in Amethi and Rae Bareli, identified to be Gandhi household bastions. There too the BJP is ready to capitalise on the alleged resentment over the Congress management skipping the Ram Mandir occasion.
Among the many Samajwadi Get together MLAs who cross-voted in Uttar Pradesh and made the eighth Rajya Sabha candidate of the BJP win are Rakesh Pratap Singh and Abhay Singh. Each have cited their unhappiness on the SP management, too, over not attending the Ram Mandir occasion. Abhay Singh has now visited Ayodhya and criticized Akhilesh Yadav. Earlier than casting his poll for the Rajya Sabha election, Rakesh Pratap Singh had stated: “Ram rom rom me hai, Ram kann kann mein hai (Ram is there in each fibre of my being)”.
Each the leaders have important affect within the parliamentary constituencies of Amethi and Rae Bareli. Rakesh Pratap Singh is MLA from Gauriganj, which falls beneath the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency.
If that isn’t worrying sufficient for the Congress, one other SP MLA who cross-voted within the Rajya Sabha election was the get together’s chief whip until Tuesday — Manoj Pandey. The three-term MLA comes from Unchahar seat which falls beneath the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat. Pandey, too, is learnt to be sad with the choice of the Samajwadi Get together management.
Sonia Gandhi has to date been representing Rae Bareli, however the ticket for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections is purported to go to Priyanka Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi misplaced Amethi to BJP’s Smriti Irani in 2019. He just lately visited the constituency throughout his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and his emotional speech made many wonder if he’ll take a second shot at Amethi in 2024.
