Challenge for Rahul Gandhi as Congress battles revolts, desertions in many states

 

MUMBAI/GUWAHATI/KOLKATA/ JAMMU, 21 JUL 2014, PTI: Revolt erupted in Congress’s backyard in Maharashtra and Assam when two senior ministers quit the party governments on Monday opposing their chief ministers.

 

Sulking senior Congress minister in Maharashtra Narayan Rane met chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, gave his resignation and later slammed him for "slackness" in decision-making. He does not want to be a "partner in defeat" in the assembly elections due later this year, he said.

 

Similarly, another senior Congress minister in the Assam government Himanta Biswas Sarma met the state Governor and submitted his resignation. He claimed he met the governor along with 38 MLAs and expressed no confidence in the chief minister. Assam goes to polls in less than two years.

 

Meanwhile, in West Bengal three Congress MLAs quit the party to join the ruling Trinamool and in Jammu & Kashmir two-time party MP quit the party alleging senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad of interfering in the working of party’s state unit.

 

Coming two months after Congress debacle in the Lok Sabha elections, the developments have raised questions on the strategy the Congress high command and Rahul Gandhi propose to adopt to stem dissidence.

 

Congress leaders in Delhi, however, ruled out suggestions that revolt in Maharashtra and Assam by state leaders was against the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.

 

Both Rane and Sarma had resigned once earlier recently but were persuaded to withdraw it. Sarma said this time he would not withdraw the resignation and made it clear that he would not contest elections under Gogoi’s leadership.

 

Addressing a news conference after submitting his resignation, Rane, a bitter critic of Chavan and an influential leader from Konkan region, mounted a scathing attack on the chief minister, accusing him of slow decision-making and lack of control over administration.

 

"Decisions relating to the people’s works are not taken quickly. There is no control over administration. The slow administration affects people’s work and dissatisfaction was manifest in Lok Sabha polls," Rane said, adding, "I don’t want to be a partner in the defeat in the assembly polls and that’s why I have quit."

 

Rane, an aspirant for CM’s post for long, also expressed his displeasure with Congress’ central leadership.

 

"I was told I will be made CM in six months. But in nine years the promise has not been kept," Rane, who has been publicly claiming he was assured of chief minister’s post when he quit Shiv Sena to join Congress in 2005, said.

 

"Not a single associate who came with me to Congress was made legislator," Rane, a former Shiv Sena chief minister, said. He, however, said he would not leave the Congress.

 

"The CM has informed me he will speak to Sonia Gandhi and revert to me. I will announce my next move after that," he said.

 

In Guwahati, education minister Sarma and a group of party MLAs opposed chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s leadership.

 

"I have submitted my resignation as minister to the governor (JB Patnaik) as I have protested Gogoi’s leadership," he told reporters after putting in his papers at the Raj Bhavan.

 

"About 38 MLAs went with me to the Raj Bhavan but it was my private journey. I have no confidence in Tarun Gogoi’s leadership. We are fighting for our party and under Gogoi’s leadership Congress will come down to single digit in 2016," he said.

 

"Absolute madness prevails and there is no direction under Gogoi. Continuing under Tarun Gogoi is not feasible politically, mentally and physically. It is not advisable. That is why I decided to resign. I will also send my resignation to the chief minister," he added.

 

To a query, Sarma said as of now there is no threat to the Gogoi government. "We do not want to topple the government."

 

He said the governor had been informed that all the 38 MLAs who went with him will play the role of a "constructive opposition" in the assembly.

 

"We will oppose Gogoi’s anti-people policies. But whenever there is a party whip we will abide by it as we do not want to defy party president Sonia Gandhi."

 

Gogoi rejected Sarma’s charges and denied that he had proposed a reshuffle of the cabinet every four months.

 

He expressed surprise over Sarma going to Raj Bhavan to hand over the resignation.

 

Unfazed by the dissidence, Congress on Monday said there was no revolt against Rahul Gandhi.

 

There is only revolt in the media, Congress leader Kamal Nath told reporters outside Parliament House.

 

"It is not a rebellion against Rahul at all. The whole issue is some people would not be happy with the chief minister. But majority are with the chief minister," he said.

 

He said Gogoi enjoyed majority. Congress President Sonia Gandhi had sent senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge as central observer to Assam last month.

 

Kharge had met all party MLAs as also PCC office bearers and had submitted his report to the party president.

 

Last week, AICC had ruled out any change in the leadership of the state ahead of the assembly session there.

 

Gogoi had also said in Guwahati that his government would continue.

 

Two-time MP resigns from Congress in J&K

In a major set back to Congress ahead of assembly polls in Jammu & Kashmir, two-time MP and former state minister Lal Singh resigned from the party alleging senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad of interfering in the working of party’s state unit.

 

"I have left the party due to interference of Azad in the state Congress and denial of ticket in the recent Lok Sabha polls. I will not tolerate this," Lal told reporters.

 

"The discipline, decorum and ideology of the party are not there in the Congress now. Therefore, I found it better to leave," he said.

 

Azad was not available for comments. Singh, who hails from Kathua district, had won the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections as Congress candidate from Udhampur.

 

He was elected to state assembly in 1996 and 2002, and had served as the minister for health and medical education in Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led coalition government in 2003.

 

Three Cong MLAs join TMC

The Congress today suffered a further jolt in West Bengal as three of its MLAs joined the ruling Trinamool Congress, but a nonchalant state Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said he was not at all perturbed by the development.

 

The three Congress MLAs who joined the TMC at the martyr’s day rally here were Asit Kumar Mal of Hansan, Md Ghulam Rabbani of Goalpokher and Umapada Bauri of Para assembly constituency.

 

This takes the total number of Congress MLAs who switched sides to the TMC since the 2011 assembly poll to seven, thus reducing the strength of the over century-old party in the assembly to 35 from 42.

 

Commenting on the three party MLAs switching sides, WBPCC chief Adhir Chowdhury said some leaders might desert but the workers remained with the party.

 

"As the party president I am not perturbed. If they (the deserters) have the guts, let them win election after six months on TMC tickets. This is our challenge," he said.

 

Congress had won 42 assembly seats in 2011 when it contested the election in alliance with TMC, but the alliance broke in September 2012 when Mamata Banerjee had decided to withdraw support to the then UPA II government at the Centre and the Congress also withdrew its ministers from the West Bengal Cabinet.

 

However, striking a despondent note, former WBPCC president and senior legislator Manas Bhuniya said, "We need introspection and discussion on why they are going. It is possibly stemming from a feeling among these leaders as there is no future in Congress — both political and personal."

 

3 party MLCs dump Congress

Congress sought disqualification of three more party MLCs for allegedly violating the party whip during the recent election of the Telangana legislative council chairman.

 

A delegation led by leader of opposition D Srinivas (Congress) submitted a petition to council chairman K Swamy Goud seeking disqualification of N Vidyasagar, Yadava Reddy and Rajeswara Rao, Congress MLC P Sudhakar Reddy said.

 

Congress had earlier sought the disqualification of five MLAs who quit the party and joined TRS, he said.