Cong mulls more powers to satraps

Jun 17, 2011 - Venkatesh Kesari |

Age Corespondent

New Delhi

A debate has begun in the Congress circles whether regional satraps be given a free hand to revive the party in different states ahead of Assembly elections and the next General Election.

While a section of the party strongly feels that AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh or Union minister Kamal Nath be given a free hand in Madhya Pradesh to end the BJP rule, others view Union minister Beni Prasad Verma could be projected as a chief ministerial candidate in the coming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
The AIADMK led by Jayalalithaa is the natural ally of the Congress in Tamil Nadu, the party insiders feel even before the state Assembly elections. As for Andhra Pradesh is concerned, one of the key and strongest states the Congress has, they are suggesting the leadership to take “corrective steps”. And that is to bring Mr Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy back to the party. “After all, he is our boy,” said an AICC official predicting that he can rejuvenate the Congress before the next Lok Sabha and the state Assembly polls. Y.S. Jagan Mohan, the son of late chief minister Y.S. Rajshekhar Reddy has recently floated the YSR Congress.
A projection of Mr Beni Prasad Verma as the chief ministerial candidate could help the party in consolidating kurmi and brahmin votes in eastern Uttar Pradesh, they feel.
Mr Digvijay Singh has created a political constituency across the country, especially among minorities, by effectively launching a campaign against the Sangh Parivar. Recently, he exposed Baba Ramdev. This will help the party in the coming electoral battle in Uttar Pradesh. Besides, Thakurs can also switch to the Congress, they feel.
Mr Singh was chief minister of Madhya Pradesh for ten years. If he gets a free hand in his home state then the picture could be different this time. Besides, him Mr Kamal Nath and another Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia too could play an effective role in Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. The Congress has strong regional satraps like chief ministers Tarun Gogoi (Assam) and Sheila Dikshit (Delhi). Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot is identified with the Congress and therefore not a caste leader.
Union ministers A.K. Antony (Kerala), Virabhadra Singh (Himachal Pradesh), Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde(Maharastra), Ghulam Nabi azad (Jammu and Kashmir), Capt. Amrinder Singh (Punjab) and Ajit Jogi (Chhattisgarh).
But its regional leaders in Orissa, Gujarat, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand have been lagging behind in reviving the party.

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