In a huge blow to the Congress Party, Vice President of Chhattisgarh Congress Unit, Ghanaram Sahu resigned from the party a day before the first phase of polling in the state assembly elections. It has been reported that he is set to join the BJP today in the presence of party president Amit Shah. In what goes on to show that the Grand Old Party has not been able to keep its house in order at a critical juncture, Sahu cited mental harassment as the reason for his resignation. It is being said that Sahu was unhappy over not getting a ticket from Durg City constituency.
In his resignation letter, Sahu alleged that even after being appointed as Vice President of the Pradesh Congress Committee, he had not been made a part of the party events within or outside the state. He alleged that he was being harassed by the Chhattisgarh Congress unit President Bhupesh Bhagel due to some personal reasons. He also made it clear that he was resigning from the post that he had held as well as giving up primary membership of the Congress. He further claimed that he had been working with dedication throughout his political career but ever since Bhagel became the state president, Sahu was harassed in all possible ways. He also brought in to light how the Durg Member of Parliament went on to deny party ticket to a woman candidate and is now himself contesting the assembly polls. Sahu also claimed that this manifests a disrespectful attitude and thinking towards women.
This development must have severely jolted the Congress leadership. It becomes more critical because it comes just a day before the state goes to assembly polls. This is bound to have a very demoralising impact on the Congress workers who may feel that things are falling apart in the party. Moreover, this is not for the first time that the Congress is battling an internal crisis in the run up to assembly polls in three states. As far as Chhattisgarh is concerned, the party high command has refused to announce the Chief Ministerial face of the party. The party high command has reportedly told all the three claimants of the top post in the state– Bhupesh Baghel (Pradesh Congress Committee chief), T.S. Singh Deo (Leader of Opposition) and Charan Das Mahant (former Union Minister and MP from Korba) – that the question of Chief Ministership would be decided by elected MLAs in case the Congress comes to power. Apart from these three, according to Congress party leaders, a fourth person- Tamradhwaj Sahu, MP from Durg and president of All India Congress Committee’s OBC wing- is likely to emerge as a strong candidate for the post of Chief Minister. The fact that the Grand Old Party is unable to determine its CM candidate goes on to show that the top leadership of the party is unable to sort the things out in the poll bound states.
Congress has been facing several major issues one after another in Chhattisgarh. Last month, four-time MLA from Pali, Chhattisgarh and Congress state executive president, Ram Dayal Uike- deserted the Congress and joined the BJP. This was seen as a major setback for the Rahul Gandhi led party. Before that, Mayawati had snubbed the Congress in the state and had declared that her party would contest the assembly polls in coalition with Ajit Jogi’s Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC-J). Any division of votes among the anti-BJP parties tends to help the BJP in a big way. This, therefore, is yet another setback for the Grand Old Party in the state which is desperate to bounce back after a string of humiliating defeats at the hands of the BJP. However, it seems that all its hopes are going to be dashed.
The way, the Grand Old Party has been unable to cope up with the infighting and the way its leaders have been jumping the ship, goes on to show that all is not well within the grand old party. Its house is not in order and the national leadership under party president Rahul Gandhi seems totally clueless, inefficient and ineffective as opposed to the BJP which seems a highly united and cohesive force as the state moves into the assembly elections.