Turmoil in Congress in Malwa region ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s visit

Several Congress workers and leaders in Mandsaur, Neemuch and Ratlam in Malwa region submitted their resignation letters to their respective district Congress committees in the past three days to protest induction of a leader from Mandsaur in the state Congress’ coordination committee, said one of party leaders.

The leader Rajendra Singh Gautam had been once expelled from the party for contesting Lok Sabha election in 2009 as a rebel candidate.

The state Congress committee has admitted that ‘there was some problem’ in the region but the issue has been sorted out.

State Congress media in charge Manak Agrawal said, “The issue has been sorted out. All the party leaders and workers are now engaged in the task of making preparations for Rahul Gandhi rally.”

The resignation has caused a flutter in the state Congress as Congress president Rahul Gandhi is to visit Mandsaur on June 6 to blow the party bugle for assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh later this year. Congress is out of power in Madhya Pradesh for the past 15 years.

Those who have submitted their resignation letters are said to be close to former member of parliament Meenakshi Natrajan. The coordination committee in the state Congress was constituted a couple of days back which is headed by former chief minister Digvijaya Singh.

Mahendra Gurjar who resigned from the post of district Congress committee, Mandsaur vice-president post said the Congress workers were upset over induction of Rajendra Singh Gautam as a member in the coordination committee.

He said Gautam had contested 2009 Lok Sabha elections as a rebel candidate against the party’s official nominee Meenakshi Natrajan. That’s why he was expelled from the party for six years. Later, he worked against him (Gurjar) when he (Gurjar) contested state assembly elections in 2013 from Mandsaur seat.

Gurjar claimed that more than half a dozen block Congress committee presidents and about a dozen Mandlam committee presidents in Neemuch, Mandsaur and Ratlam had submitted their resignation letters to the party. There were more than six other Congress leaders who resigned in Neemuch.

When contacted Rajendra Singh Gautam said he would say anything in this regard.

Meenakshi Natrajan said, “This is the party’s internal issue and I don’t comment on the party’s differences and internal issues before media.”

She said the entire party was working for the rally of Congress president Rahul Gandhi.