Kamal Nath out to make a mark against Digvijay

A large section of Digvijay’s followers — including 13 of his favoured ministers — will form part of the 48-member Chhattisgarh Congress Legislature Party when the new state comes into being on November 1, political observers point out. On the other hand, a majority of MLAs in the remaining Madhya Pradesh are staunch followers of other party heavyweights like Kamal Nath, Madhavrao Scindia and Arjun Singh.

Party veterans from Chhattisgarh agree with this assessment. Ever since hedefeated former chief minister Shyama Charan Shukla in the CPP leadershipelections in 1993, Digvijay went out of his way to win new friends inChhattisgarh to marginalise the Shukla (Shyama and Vidya Charan) brothers.

“Singh today commands the largest block of supporters in Chhattisgarh CLP,” asserts a state Cabinet minister from the region and this may give him a say in the selection of Chhattisgarh’s first Chief Minister. But Digvijay will now have to share a much smaller territory with the likes of Kamal Nath, Scindia and Arjun Singh — with whose help he managed to keep the Shukla brothers at bay.

With Arjun Singh virtually retiring from state politics and Scindia showinglittle interest in local affairs beyond his erstwhile state of Gwalior, the Chhindwara MP has steadily increased his support base beyond the Mahakoshal region. Recent rallies organised by his supporters at Indore, Ujjain and Dhar have projected Kamal Nath as the only leader who can stand up to Digvijay.

According to party sources, Nath is also extending tacit support to Ujjain’s Congress MLA Kalpana Parulekar’s campaign against Singh on the issue of the mass sacking of daily-wagers by the state government.

Recent appointments of district and block returning officers for Congress organisational elections in the state too show that Kamal Nath, Scindia and Arjun are acting in cohorts to give Digvijay as little leeway as possible. A trace of this bitterness was berated by Digvijay when he protested against the manner in which AICC observers “sidelined” the claims of “genuine party workers”.

As a sign of protest, Digvijay announced that he had not plans contest forthe Congress Working Committee membership and would abide by whatever Sonia deems fit. But not before he virtually sounded a warning note: “If the grassroot workers continue to be ignored, I will sit on dharna with them.”

The canny politician that Singh is, he has so far refused to let any suchprovocation force him into a hurried decision. Instead, he wants to convinceSonia that he has no ambitions to enter national politics as some of hisdetractors are trying to project.

Digvijay did not propose any personal preferences to the AICC observers when the lists of BROs and DROs were being finalised, claims a close Digvijay aide, adding: “And he does not intend espousing anyone’s case for Chhattisgarh’s chief ministership either. He wants the issue to be decided between the Chhattisgarh’s Congress MLAs and the high command.”