Congress battles internal rifts ahead of Haryana, Maharashtra elections

Congress spokesperson said it was natural in a democratic party to have internal rifts.

Thursday was a day of disgruntlement and rebellion in the Congress Party. From Delhi to Lucknow to Mumbai, key leaders went either public with their unhappiness over the party’s decisions or openly flouted them.

In poll-bound Mumbai, former president of the party’s Mumbai unit Sanjay Nirupam went public with his anger against the party. (HT File Photo)

In Lucknow, the 31-year old Duke University educated, Uttar Pradesh MLA from Rae Bareli, Aditi Singh was given Y-category security cover by the state’s BJP government led by Yogi Adityanath — the police cited heightened threat perception— a day after she defied a boycott call given by her own party to attend a special assembly session. The daughter of veteran politician, the late Akhilesh Singh, who moved from being a Congress leader to an independent before returning to the party, Singh, the youngest member of the assembly gave a Priyanka Gandhi Vadra padyatra scheduled for Wednesday a miss to attend the session.

When contacted, Singh wasn’t too worried about the consequences that her actions. “It’s the party’s call. I will accept whatever decision the Congress takes. ’’The party’s legislative party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu evaded answering a question on this and said “I will find out and let you know.’’

In poll-bound Mumbai, former president of the party’s Mumbai unit Sanjay Nirupam went public with his anger against the party.

Upset at his loyalist being denied a ticket, Nirupam has said he will not participate in the campaign. “I recommended just one name in Mumbai for Assembly election. Heard that even that has been rejected.As I told the leadership earlier,in that case I will not participate in poll campaign. Its my final decision,” he tweeted.

His second tweet sounded even more dire: “I hope that the day has not yet come to say good bye to party. But the way leadership is behaving with me, it doesn’t seem far away”.

The Congress is yet to announce all its candidates in Maharashtra.

“You need to promote party workers who work hard during the elections. If the party doesn’t value such people then what is the point,” Nirupam said, adding that he will take a decision (whether to remain in the party) by end of the month, after the assembly polls.

In the other poll bound state of Haryana, another former office bearer Ashok Tanwar, recently displaced by Kumari Selja, vented his frustration at not being able to influence candidate-selection. At a press conference in the ccapital, he said: “There are vested interests who do not want some young people to rise in the party. I cannot say that all my contenders will win, but despite the non-cooperation movement launched against me, I made sure that during the Lok Sabha election, we registered a 6% rise in vote share over the last elections. Yet there were allegations that I did not do enough.’’ Tanwar, who is a known opponent of the current Congress Legislative Party leader, Bhupender Singh Hooda, has now resigned from all positions he holds within the party.

While the Congress’ top leadership played down these displays of angst, some party leaders admit in private that they just make the going that much tougher for the party in the coming elections in Maharashtra and Haryana.

“Expressions of discontent is natural in a democratic party and will be addressed suitably by our leadership. In Congress we freely express, debate, evolve and expand,” said Pranav Jha, Congress spokesperson.

“Unlike the BJP, which is being roughshoded by a duo, we are a party that have been there for 135 years,” said Jha.