Coffers nearly empty, Cong embarks on a treasurer hunt

It been some time that the Congress has been facing severe fund crisis. Candidates have been getting no help from the party during elections and no one is paying heed to the appeals of party MPs and MLAs for donations. The Congress is losing power in one State after another, and leaders feel that the party will get lesser funds when electoral bonds are issued. Despite that, there is a competition to grab the post of the party treasurer. Though, till date Motilal Vora has been continuing as the treasurer, some say Rahul Gandhi will appoint a new one. Now the question is who will be new treasurer? Three names are doing the rounds: Kamal Nath, Milind Deora, and Kanishka Singh. Singh has been working with Vora for some time now. As Vora is the treasurer, he is attached with all Trusts related to the Gandhi-Nehru family. Priyanka Vadra also takes a lot of interest in these Trusts. Along with Vora, Singh looks after the affairs of these Trusts.

Rahul and Priyanka have faith on Kanishka Singh. That is why it is being said that he has been trained under Vora and is now ready to take charge of the party coffers. He is the son of former IFS officer SK Singh and shares a good rapport with many big companies. Though this is also the reason why he has come under attack of his opponents. Many leaders feel that the companies over which Kanishka Singh has a good hold are facing investigations, and he could land in trouble, so there is resistance over his name for the post.

On the other hand, Milind Deora’s father Murli Deora used to channelise funds for the party. After his death, Milind has been managing funds for the party in Mumbai. He is very close to Rahul and usually travels abroad with the Congress president. During his US tour too, he had accompanied Rahul. Businessmen and members of the US Congress had told Rahul that Murli Deora was called the Senator of Manhattan! So, Milind is also a contender for the treasurer post due to the legacy of his father, understanding of the business world, and proximity to Rahul.

Kamal Nath is a new contender in the race. He is a businessman and has a good relationship with business organisations. He is amongst the few leaders who attend the WEF meeting in Davos, whether or not he is in power. This is a fact that the Congress will need a lot of funds before the next Lok Sabha Elections and the party needs an experienced treasurer for this. Apart from all these, the Congress is going to project Jyotiraditya Scindia in Madhya Pradesh, so a suitable place is being found for Kamal Nath. And that’s how the 71-year-old Kamal Nath has become a contender.

NITISH’S DIMINISHING POWER

Nitish Kumar might resort to measures like a human chain, but some feel that his confidence and the goodwill of his Government are diminishing, and at the same time, his bargaining power against the BJP is also reducing. He organised a human chain in the State on January 21 in the name of social reforms, such as anti-dowry and against child marriage; the Government claimed that almost half of the State participated in it, but the fact remains that it was only a Government campaign. Most of the people feel such events are being organised to divert attention from the deteriorating law and order situation in Bihar and the Government’s slow pace of work. The recently held Vikas Samiksha Yatra was amongst the innumerable yatras of Nitish Kumar, and his cavalcade was also attacked in Buxar. Around a dozen of his security personnel were also injured when they came under attack near a Dalit basti, where the residents wanted to show their plight to the Chief Minister. This attack is the most painful injury on the image of Nitish and his popularity.

After that attack, the Central Government has given Nitish Z+ security and that too of national level. Apart from that, he will also be given a big bungalow in Delhi. One of the leaders of his party feels that Z+ security and a bungalow in Delhi will not be good for Nitish as he might not be allowed to bargain for more seats.

Some say the BJP has started bargaining with eight seats for Nitish in the next Lok Sabha Elections and this won’t extend beyond 10 seats. At present, the BJP has 23 MPs and the party doesn’t want to fight on even one seat less than that. The party can exchange one or two seats but will not lessen the number.

Maximum one or two seats can be managed from Ram Vilas Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha’s quota, so 8-10 seats might be spared in the Lok Sabha and proportionately in the Assembly Elections. That is why people are saying that Nitish wants early elections so that seats distribution for the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha can be done at the same time.

SHEILA’S REVELATIONS

Former Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, doesn’t have any political career left. But it seems that she is not too concerned about her son Sandeep’s political career too. She has written her autobiography in which she has laid bare many internal issues of the Congress. A senior leader of the party says she didn’t keep in mind that Natwar Singh and Makhan Lal Fotedar had also written their biographies and the subsequent fate that had befallen them. Along with Natwar Singh, his son’s political career was also over, at least with the Congress. So, Sheila might not encounter any problems, but her son Sandeep, former MP from East Delhi, might land in a political soup.

Her book, Citizen Delhi: My Times, My Life, could also make a dent into the Congress image. For example, what she has written about the Shah Bano case will not be liked by the Congress leaders. She has written that the then PM Rajiv Gandhi was in favour of the Supreme Court’s decision and how he changed later. Sheila has also revealed her role in the matter. At the time when there was a debate on triple talaq, the Congress never wanted any discussions on the Shah Bano case, and Sheila has again put the matter under the spotlight.

In the same manner, she writes that she never wanted to become the CM candidate in Uttar Pradesh and it became possible after much coaxing by the party leaders. This is certain that the party will not take this revelation in good taste. The inside story for the fight within the Congress could also pose problems.