Dissidents in Cong unite, look for a leader

Dikshit has been struggling to shake off the shackles of control that Sajjan Kumar wields over her governance and her first step was the appointment of the chief whip. She did it only after the bye-elections in Nangloi-Jat when it became apparent that despite the Congress win, Sajjan has not been able make much waves.

The dissidents, however, face a serious problem of a lack of leadership. Sajjan Kumar remains on the periphery after the Panchmarhi declaration. With a career tainted with allegations of involvement in the anti-Sikh carnage of 1984, he is not in a position to take over the mantle of leading the rebels. At present, Sajjan has two cases related to the ’84 carnage against him — one filed by the Central Bureau of Investigations and another by Delhi Police’s Special Riots Cell.

While senior leaders are ready to confess their disappointment with Dikshit, they are not yet prepared to lead. “I do not want the rebels to shoot from my shoulder,” said a veteran leader. “First, the person who can lead a faction against Dikshit has to be identified,” he adds.

The rumblings in the party were precipitated by the bye-election which had turned into a battle between Sajjan and Dikshit. The battle lines were drawn clearly that even the constituencies were divided on factional lines, Hauz Khas became the domain of Dikshit loyalists while Nangloi was the responsibility of Sajjan’s supporters.

To avoid visiting Nangloi, Dikshit did not venture out of office on the day of polling, despite the fact that she turned down the offer to be on the bus to Pakistan saying that she cannot leave the Capital during bye-polls.

Personally, the victory in Nangloi is a revenge for Sajjan who ousted BJP’s former Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma from his own citadel. The thin margin, though, will not catapult him back to the mainstream.