Singh is not only sidelined by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, his influence is also on the wane
Is former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh, in the eye of a fresh storm over a Maoist probe by the Pune police, increasingly becoming a 'liability' for the party he headed and successfully led for many years? The answer appears affirmative if one goes by the fact that Singh, once a powerful Congress general secretary in charge of many states, has been gradually divested of important responsibilities, say analysts.
Known for controversial remarks that often land his party in a tight spot, Singh, 71, recently said that he had stopped campaigning and holding rallies as it cost the Congress votes. The entire campaign for the party is being led by 41-year-old Jyotiraditya Scindia, while organisational work is being supervised by state Congress chief Kamal Nath, Singh's old-time old pal. Singh heads a committee that deals with dissidents.
Once at the helm of the state for a decade at a relatively young age, Singh is not only sidelined by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, his influence is also on the wane. His tenure as the CM (1993-2003) is being repeatedly raked up by the BJP as the time when the state hugely lagged behind in development and corruption was rampant.
No surprise then, party sources say, Kamal Nath admitted that the 10 years of Singh's rule were bad but Congress has been punished enough. "We want to put it behind us," Nath recently said. Sources say Singh party colleagues are upset with his style of functioning.
Is Singh being ignored by the top party leaders or is he still an important cog in the Congress wheel? This question is being raised again after his name was surfaced on Tuesday in the Bhima-Koregaon incident near Pune last year. His alleged links in the 'urban Naxal' case being probed by the Maharashtra police may push the Congress on the back foot with polling just round the corner.
Madhya Pradesh goes to polls on November 28 to elect its 230-member assembly.
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