Jitin Prasada, a senior Congress leader, who does not enjoy much popularity but has a rich political legacy, joined BJP yesterday. In the last few years, many talented young Congress leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma, Jyotiraditya Scindia left the Congress party and now Prasada followed. Of these, Sarma and Scindia were very valuable, and in BJP, one is the CM of Assam and the other would probably get a plum Union ministry in the next cabinet expansion.
Apart from the aforementioned leaders, few others like Sachin Pilot, former Union Ministers RPN Singh, Milind Deora, Haryana MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi and others – all close aides of former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, are also not happy with the high command of the grand old party and might jump the ship soon.
In fact, Sachin Pilot is already giving hints of possible exit very soon after his failed first attempt. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Sachin Pilot expressed his grave displeasure at the way things were panning out in Rajasthan, and how the Congress was failing to fulfil promises made by it last year. “It has now been 10 months. I was given to understand that there would be swift action by the committee, but now half of the term is done, and those issues haven’t been resolved. It is unfortunate that so many of the party workers who worked and gave their all for getting us the mandate are not being heard,” Pilot said, refusing to elaborate on his next move.
Congress leadership is running around like a headless chicken, with no vision and direction. The party’s high command – Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi – are nowhere to be seen near the conundrum. The forever-young Mr Gandhi has been quietly neglecting the murmurs of discontent within its own ranks for months. One can understand Rahul Gandhi might be busy planning another getaway vacation to another exotic country, but clearly, he can leave it for the time being.
At the end of the day, leaders like Scindia, Pilot, Bishnoi, and Deora realise that Congress is all about one family and that making it to the top in such a toxic environment is neither possible nor worth the efforts. Even if they make peace with the fact that they cannot get to the top, they do not get opportunity/rewards for their hard work given the domination of the “old guard” in the top layer.
In MP and Rajasthan, Kamal Nath and Gehlot were awarded the CM post after the victory in the 2018 assembly election despite the fact that Scindia and Pilot were the people responsible for that victory. The same thing happened in Assam, where Sarma was dumped in favour of junior Gogoi (Gaurav Gogoi, son for three-term CM Tarun Gogoi) and this led to the state in which Congress finds itself today in Assam.
With the dwindling popularity and joke of a leadership, it is not BJP who is championing the cause of Congress Mukt Bharat, it is Congress which itself is on a self-destruction spree.
