With the Congress in the state facing its real opposition from within, it’s not a surprise that it took 15 long years for the faction-ridden party to bring all its senior leaders on one platform.The show of unity at Chhindwara, the constituency of Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, on August 22 has created a buzz. Nath, himself a rare visitor to the state, had succeeded in doing what only the late Madhavrao Scindia achieved, way back in 1993 in Dabra, making the small town in Gwalior district a metaphor for Congress unity.It was in 2003, after the humiliating loss in the state elections, that cracks had first surfaced within the Congress, with each faction charting out a separate course. Partymen would issue separate press releases taking different lines and spokespersons of separate factions vied for space in the Congress headquarters.Last year saw the young Jyotiradiya Scindia and former chief minister Digvijay Singh holding separate rallies in each other’s area of influence. Then state president Subhash Yadav, meanwhile, floundered as he did not enjoy the support of any of the leaders. There were frequent demands for his removal, till he was finally replaced with Union minister Suresh Pachauri.The less-than-impressive performance in by-elections was a wake-up call. With Assembly elections nearing, a need was felt within the Congress to bring party ranks together, perhaps with a repeat of the Dabra meeting.Barring a few awkward moments, the Chhindwara meeting was a success. As many as 21 leaders addressed a joint press conference, including everyone from Pachauri, Scindia, Digvijay Singh and Leader of Opposition Jamuna Devi to AICC secretaries V Narayan Sami and Satyavrat Chaturvedi. Everyone who matters in the state Congress was present. Union HRD Minister Arjun Singh’s participation was ruled out, but his son Ajay Singh, who is the chief of the party campaign committee, was present.Though Kamal Nath loomed large over the proceedings — his cutouts dominated the town, not entirely unexpected given that Chhindwara is his home turf — the party managed to send out a strong message of unity. Except for a couple of references, the leaders stuck to the party’s stand of not projecting a chief ministerial candidate before the elections.Yadav, who has been sulking since his unceremonious departure, caused a flutter when he projected Nath as the rightful contender for the chief minister’s post. Digvijay Singh seconded Yadav, but in a very subtle way. The former chief minister, who ruled the state for 10 years after Dabra, said he would not have got the top post without Nath’s support. On his part, he reiterated that he would not contest the Assembly elections.Nath himself steered cleared of controversy, and so did Scindia. In true Congress tradition, all leaders declared Sonia Gandhi as their undisputed leader and resolved that their only concern was to throw out a “corrupt Government”.
