Former union minister V C Shukla’s left with no “god-father” in Congress that had cost his daughter’s political debut from Chhattisgarh.
Pratibha Pandey, Shukla’s elder daughter and political heir, is the only kin of the Jheeram Ghati key martyrs of Congress who has been denied party ticket to contest the elections.
Besides Shukla, state PCC President Nandkumar Patel, former leader of opposition Mahendra Karma and senior legislator Uday Mudaliar were prominent Congress leaders who were killed when Naxalites ambushed the party convoy in Jheeram Ghati of Bastar district on May 25.
Patel’s son Umesh and Karma’s wife Devati are Congress MLAs from Kharsia and Dantewada respectively while Mudaliar’s wife Alka lost to chief minister Raman Singh in Rajnandgaon. Keeping the issue that had been a major poll plank during state elections alive, Congress had fielded Karma’s son Deepak from Bastar Lok Sabha constituency.
Pratibha had staked claim to contest from Mahasamund that her father had represented nine times. Surprisingly, Congress high command denied her ticket and fielded former chief minister and Shukla’s bête-noire Ajit Jogi as its official candidate to contest Mahasamund.
Shukla supporters had staged vehement protest while Jogi defended himself stating that it was party high command that decided about the ticket.
Shukla, a close confident of Sanjay Gandhi, had been sidelined in the Congress politics after Sonia Gandhi took over the command. Known for his iron-fist handling of the media and information ministry during the Emergency, Shukla was left with no god-father in the Congress politics.
He lost his sympathy with Sonia circle for associating with P V Narasimha Rao when he was Prime Minister. During Rao’s government, the Bofors issue came up and Shukla, who was minister, came under the scanner of Gandhi camp.
When Chhattisgarh was formed in 2000, Jogi became the chief minister ignoring Shukla, who was party’s face in the Central India. During Jogi’s rule, Shukla was totally ignored. The anti-Jogi camp however gave him prominence for political reasons.
The Shukla supporters had not lost the hope. The party high command is reportedly working on a plan to change the candidate of Raipur Lok Sabha constituency for the third after declaring. Pratibha could be accommodated in Raipur. The decision could be taken in a day or two.
