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Journalism of Courage
A YEAR ago,when Chaudhary Rakesh Singh Chaturvedi was expelled from the Assembly for unruly conduct,the question everyone asked was,Is it more a loss for the Congress or relief for the ruling BJP?
It was an acknowledgment of the oratorical skills of the former minister,known for peppering his rather aggressive arguments with facts and figures.
Chaturvedis membership was restored soon after in a special session called for the very purpose. But the fireworks have since been largely missing; he has appeared to hold his punches during debates in the assembly.
So when Chaturvedi interrupted Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh,everyone turned to hear him say something explosive. He did,but it took most in the BJP and the Congress time to comprehend.
Chaturvedi,51,has been sulking ever since Ajay was made the Leader of Opposition because he believed,and many agreed,that he was more deserving of the job. Ajay,he felt,got the post because he was the son of former chief minister Arjun Singh and was close to Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh,to whom he is also related.
It was events leading to and following his expulsion that brought to fore the power tussle in the Congress. Chaturvedi and Kalpana Parulekar,another firebrand leader who was expelled,had in writing requested Speaker Ishwardas Rohani to restore their membership and apologised for their conduct.
The BJP called it a written apology but the Congress initially said it was ignorant of such a request,suggesting that the two leaders and the ruling party had entered into a secret agreement. The Congresss suspicion was fuelled by BJP leaders who hinted that Chaturvedi was happy with his expulsion because his post was no longer under threat.
Chaturvedi,son of Chaudhary Dilip Singh Chaturvedi who was the BJP MLA from Bhind in 1980s,joined NSUI in 1979 and became Congress MLA for the first of his four terms in 1990.
He was housing and environment minister in Digvijayas second government and came under a cloud for giving permission to Treasure Island,the states first shopping mall in Indore,in violation of rules. He still faces an Economic Offences Bureau investigation.
That apart,his career has largely been free of controversies. He was always a dignified leader,intelligent and well read. If he crossed the floor,it means he was convinced that either the party wont give him a ticket or that he wont win, a former Congress leader said of Chaturvedi.
