When Gulam Nabi refused “election” in Chhattisgarh

Gulam Nabi Azad with Indira Gandhi (facebook picture)

R Krishna Das

Raipur, August 29

In the wintery afternoon of October 31, 2000, the sprawling lawn of now Pahuna was flooded with Congress workers. All eyes were set on the main entrance.

Senior Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad along with Prabha Rau, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh and AICC spokesperson (late) Ajit Jogi walked out. Azad and Mrs Rau were Congress central observers to “elect” leader of the legislature party in the newly born Chhattisgarh.

“All-India Congress Committee spokesman Ajit Jogi was today unanimously elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in the new state of Chhattisgarh,” Azad announced, much to the shock of party workers.

Since Jogi was to be elected unopposed, then why did the CLP deliberate for two hours under Azad’s command? The insiders said there was strong opposition in the name of Jogi and most of the CLP members exhorted for election or voting.

Azad, who had now stirred the political cauldron by raising election in Congress party, had bluntly turned down the popular demand in Chhattisgarh and firmly said “no”. Despite the majority of the members demanding election for CLP leader, the central party observer looked the other way.

In the fresh salvo against the party leadership, Azad said Congress would remain in opposition for 50 years if it failed to hold organisational election.

“Had Azad followed the same ethics in Chhattisgarh, Congress would not have shattered in the state,” said a senior Congress minister. Former Union Minister (late) Vidyacharan Shukla, who also led a separate statehood movement, was a strong contender with support from majority of MLAs. Seven MLAs abstained from the meeting as they were said to owe allegiance to Shukla.

The Congress had to pay a heavy price for the decision that was taken under the observation of Azad. The simmering differences in the party started spilling out in open that gradually consolidated the position of BJP in the region that had been a traditionally Congress stronghold.