Factionalism casts a shadow over Congress' prospects

'Second stage' of organizational revamp in the party currently underway

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have let loose an aggressive election campaign in the run-up to the poll season, the Congress has been busy strengthening its organisational set-up in various states, under party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Currently, the ‘second stage’ of the Congress’ organisational revamp is underway. With the three-month deadline to states to beef up their grassroots structure coming to an end, Gandhi is carrying out a review of the overhaul.

However, despite the much-hyped organisational revamp, last week, the Congress got a rude jolt in Madhya Pradesh, with its deputy leader of Opposition, Rakesh Singh Chaturvedi, opposing his party’s no-confidence motion against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. Later that day, Chaturvedi joined the BJP.

What accentuated the matter was the fact that the Congress leadership in the state, faction ridden and divided in its loyalties, was clueless about the internal developments. As soon as the Congress leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Ajay Singh, moved the no-confidence motion against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government, Chaturvedi opposed the motion, which was later declared null and void.

Chaturvedi, a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Bhind, was expelled from the party for six years; the BJP welcomed him into its fold.

State Pradesh Congress chief Kantilal Bhuria tried to downplay the incident. However, for Madhya Pradesh, which goes to polls this year-end, it was a telling comment on the deep factionalism within the Congress camp, with the party’s state unit divided into several camps, owing allegiance to various leaders such as Digvijaya Singh, late Madhavrao Scindia and Kamal Nath.

In neighbouring Chhattisgarh, which also goes to polls this year-end, the party is replete with factionalism, too. After the state party brass was wiped out in a Naxal attack a month ago, the role of former chief minister Ajit Jogi had been questioned within party circles.

It appears Rahul Gandhi’s repeated warnings to state party leaders, as in the case of Haryana and Maharashtra (the state party chiefs of which he met this week), aren’t being heeded. In an interaction with the Haryana state unit, the second time in the past six months, Gandhi urged party leaders Rao Inderjit Singh, Kumari Selja and chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to bury their differences.