Old story at election of new CLP chief

Factions in the Gujarat Congress which grudgingly joined hands for the Assembly elections are back at each others’ throats. It took Son...

Factions in the Gujarat Congress which grudgingly joined hands for the Assembly elections are back at each others’ throats. It took Sonia Gandhi’s intervention finally to see that Amarsinh Chaudhary was elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party at its meeting today.

What should have been a half-hour affair dragged to three hours, with each MLA summoned to express his views.

It all began with Bharat Solanki, son of former chief minister and a faction head Madhavsinh Solanki, proposing Chaudhary’s name as CLP leader. At once, Danta MLA Mukesh Gadhvi butted in. He proposed that a ‘‘younger person’’ be elected and that All-India Congress Committee observer Kumari Selja elicit everyone’s views before the election.

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Jogi draws inspiration from Indira to beat Hindutva wave

RAIPUR: For the coming Assembly polls, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi is taking inspiration against the Narendra Modi-led Hindutva wave from a party leader who beat bigger odds to stride back to power: Indira Gandhi. Come January 2003, Jogi will remember her days in defeat between 1977 and 1980 by rolling out the red carpet for all those Congressmen who stood by Mrs Gandhi during the difficult time. There will be a convention to which these leaders will be invited, and some will be honoured on the occasion.

Admitting that this was part of his preparations for the Assembly polls, Jogi says there will be other conventions — of party candidates in previous assembly and Lok Sabha polls, and of former MPs and MLAs. However, the Indira associates’ meeting could also be an attempt by Jogi to counter his political rival V.C. Shukla, who was considered quite close to Mrs Gandhi. Shukla has formed the Chhhatisgarh Sangharsh Morcha, giving the CM a tough time. (ENS)

The catch here is that Gadhvi belongs to the Solanki faction. The suggestion was apparently aimed at getting Bharat the post. By having Bharat himself propose Chaudhary’s name, the Solanki faction apparently wanted others of its group to speak up and oppose the election of an old-timer.

This created a flutter, and Selja directed the meeting to adopt a one-line resolution authorising Congress president Sonia to take the final decision on the leadership issue.

After that, Selja initiated the process of eliciting the views of MLAs by calling them individually. This went on for about three hours.

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Later, Selja called up AICC general secretary and Gujarat in-charge Kamal Nath in Delhi and apprised him of the proceedings. Nath conveyed this to Sonia, who finally gave a nod in favour of Chaudhary.

‘‘The high-command has conveyed that Chaudhary be elected the CLP leader, and all the party MLAs have accepted the decision unanimously,’’ Selja told reporters later.

However, Bharat may get one thing out of the drama. According to a senior Congress leader, he is certain to be made the CLP deputy leader. ‘‘There are over 30 youngsters among the total 51 party legislators who have been elected. With Chaudhary having proven to be a weak Opposition leader, the high command should have preferred a younger member to head the CLP,’’ he contended.

He said many in the CLP felt that ‘‘the old guard should give way to younger elements to take on a BJP led by the young Narendra Modi’’. With LS elections due in 2004, unless the Congress leadership perks up its cadre with youngsters, it will be difficult for it to take on the BJP, he added.

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After being elected CLP leader, Chaudhary told reporters that his priority would be to expose the ‘‘fascist face’’ of the BJP. Asked about the Congress debacle in its traditional tribal bastion, Chaudhary, who’s himself a tribal leader, said: ‘‘We have won 12 of the total 26 tribal seats.’’