In Anna’s wake,Aron ripples

With the Congress leader,who is in his early 50s,known to keep a low profile,the general belief here is that the letter — seeking a probe into the “mishandling” and indirectly blaming senior leaders for it — had the imprint of powers-that-be within Congress organisation.

The first signal of Aron’s rising stature,in a party where leaders swear by such signs,was his move to submit Team Anna’s Jan Lokpal Bill to the Parliamentary Standing Committee considering the government version of the Bill. Aron claimed he was doing so as an ordinary citizen of the country — an explanation that found few takers.

“We thought Aron might have done this to grab media publicity. But his second move to openly blame government managers for mishandling the Anna agitation confirmed that he has now emerged as an important player in the Congress circles in New Delhi,” said a senior Congress leader and MLA.

Incidentally,Aron’s wife Supriya,the Mayor of Bareilly,was among those given tickets in the first list declared by the Congress for the 2012 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections recently. She will contest from Bareilly Cantt.

In the Uttar Pradesh Congress,Aron is known to belong to the camp of Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid. “He enjoys good relations with Salman saheb,” said a Congress MLA who has known Aron since his days in the Assembly.

“Pahle kabhi maine Aron ka itna ugra swabhav nahin dekha (I’ve never seen this aggressive side of Aron),” the MLA added.

Elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009,Aron has spent most of his political life in Uttar Pradesh. He was elected to the Assembly in 1989,and been associated with former PM V P Singh’s Jan Morcha,Janata Dal,and the Samajwadi Party.

“More than 15 years ago,Praveen returned to the Congress. His parents were close to veteran Congress leader Narayan Dutt Tiwari. So,he spent some time in the Congress (Tiwari) also,” says Supriya.

Aron first came into prominence in the Congress during the party’s Sandesh Yatra,launched in April 2010. The previous year,he had defeated BJP stalwart Santosh Gangwar from the Bareilly Lok Sabha seat,giving the Congress a victory in the seat considered significant for its Muslim vote after a long time.

“The Congress started 10 Sandesh Yatras from different areas across the state and Praveen was made head of one such Yatra programme. This was the first sign of the growth of his clout within the party,” said a source.

While Aron refuses to talk about his letter to Rahul,Supriya claimed it was his “individual” decision and justified the same. “It was purely his decision to write to Rahul Gandhi demanding investigation into the mishandling of the Anna agitation. I also agree with his views. We all must do an introspection into the whole episode,” she told The Indian Express on phone.

She added that her husband was a self-made man who did not need anyone’s backing. “Our main concern is to avoid any damage to the Congress party’s prospects in the 2012 Assembly elections in the state. Thus we are worried following mishandling of the Anna agitation,” Supriya explained.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee’s chief spokesperson Subodh Srivastava also took the same line,saying they were concerned about any possibility of damage to the Congress in Uttar Pradesh on account of the Anna agitation.

“Our party has always supported agitations against corruption. But I won’t comment on Praveen Singh’s letter to Rahul Gandhi,” Srivastava said.