Madhya Pradesh Crisis: What's cooking in Rahul Gandhi's mind?
Madhya Pradesh Crisis: Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh is in crisis. As the state appears to go the Karnataka way, all eyes are on Congress top-brass including Rahul Gandhi who is tightlipped over the unfolding crisis. At the time of publishing this story, 21 Congress MLAs have put in their papers while 4 others are about to leave the Congress camp.
The current crisis in Madhya Pradesh is indicative of fact that power play and political equations were not settled 15 months ago as Congress formed a government under Kamal Nath. Jyotiraditya Scindia was widely considered to be the contender chief ministerial office in MP. However, when the party weighed in in favour of veteran Kamal Nath, it was widely expressed that the party lost a chance to send a message that it heeds young India's voice.
On Monday, when Congress MLAs flew to Bengaluru, the Congress top-brass was caught off-guard.
Jyotiraditya Scindia is considered close to Rahul Gandhi. Jyotiraditya Scindia's resignation comes as a personal blow to him as well. Young guns like Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia command appeal among youth and looked up to as future pillars of Congress party.
On the other side is Congress' battle-hardened old guard comprising leaders like Kamal Nath, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Digvijaya Singh to name a few.
It is an old clamor within the Congress that young guns are often overlooked in favor of veteran stalwarts. Besides Scindia, young leaders who have left the party in the past include Ashok Tanwar who even went on to say that the young leaders are "killed in womb" and that the older leaders are "crushing" the young ranks.
Ever since Rahul Gandhi stepped down from his role as Congress chief, there is palpable unease within Congress ranks and especially among young leaders. Post Lok Sabha elections 2019m Rahul Gandhi resolutely refused to become party chief again. The decision wasn't taken well by party workers but as the uncertainty loomed-on for months, it created a sort of a vacuum with the grand old party becoming a giant organisation with no leader at the top.
Victory in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan proved to be a filip to Congress in 2017 as it appeared to stop the BJP poll machine for a while. But with Madhya Pradesh falling from Congress' grasp, things certainly look shaky for the party.
Watch | I am very happy and congratulate him. This is 'ghar vapasi', says Yashodhara Scindia, aunt of Jyotiraditya Scindia
