Congress shake-up ruffles many feathers in Madhya Pradesh, upset leaders warn: ‘Will return this favour with interest’

The two secretaries are former Bhopal city Congress president Pradeep Monu Saxena and Indore city Congress committee president Aman Bajaj.

In the first list released by the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, 177 office bearers were appointed. The second list added 158 more, bringing the total to 335. Even after the first list, Congress leader Pramod Tandon had resigned from the party, while senior leader Ajay Singh ‘Rahul’ had denounced “leaders responsible for the condition” the party had been put in.

Dandotiya, angry over the appointment, said, “I want to tell Mr Patwari, this favor you’ve done for me, the honor you gave me at the Veerpur office, and the favor of appointing me as an assistant secretary – I will repay all of it with interest.”

Belonging to the Morena region, Dantodiya said the appointment has “hurt my dignity”.

“They didn’t consult me about the decision. If I had known, I would have refused… By making me an assistant secretary, they have diminished my respect. I don’t want to sit idle with a post,” Dantodiya said, adding that he “would decide his course of action after discussing with party workers”.

In Indore, Bajaj, the acting city Congress president, declined his newly appointed position as secretary. In a letter to Patwari, he requested that the opportunity be given to new members. Bajaj affirmed his “dedication to the Congress ideology and to safeguarding the values of India’s Constitution and democracy”.

In Bhopal, Saxena, previously the city Congress president, also resigned from his post. “I have been to jail and organised protests numerous times. When I saw the list, there was disappointment and I felt sad,” he said.

The second list, released late Tuesday night, included 158 new appointees, with 25 members in the PAC, 84 secretaries, and 36 joint secretaries. Prominent leaders like Kamal Nath, Nakul Nath and Digvijaya Singh were included in the PAC.

Congress leaders say the senior leadership has reached out to disgruntled leaders and started troubleshooting, in the hopes that leaders don’t resign from the party membership.

Congress spokesperson Mukesh Nayak said the “committee’s formation is based on regional and caste balance, aiming to provide representation to all sections”. He said the PCC “will assign responsibilities at the grassroots level to stimulate active participation”.