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| Edited By: DNA Web Team |Source: DNA Web Desk |Updated: Nov 16, 2022, 06:07 PM IST
The Congress, which is already dealing with leadership crisis in Rajasthan, is now facing another issue: senior party leader Ajay Maken has resigned as the AICC in-charge of the state, just a fortnight before Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra enters Rajasthan.
Maken is upset over no action being taken against the three loyalists of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot who were given show-cause notices for holding a parallel CLP meeting in Jaipur on September 25.
In a letter to party president Mallikarjun Kharge on November 8, Maken cited the unprecedented rebellion by Gehlot loyalists, Maken asked the party chief to appoint someone in place of him.
Maken and Kharge had gone to Jaipur as central observers for holding a meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in September amid charges and counter-charges by both factions in favour of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
The CLP meeting could not take place, but some MLAs considered loyal to the chief minister, held a separate meeting at the residence of state minister Shanti Dhariwal, who opposed Pilot as Gehlot's successor in Rajasthan.
At that time, Maken had failed to convene a meeting of MLAs to pass a one-line resolution to authorise the Congress president to appoint a new leader in Rajasthan.
Gehlot had apologised publicly later for failing to get the resolution passed and opted out of the race for the Congress president after meeting then party chief Sonia Gandhi.
The party had issued showcause notices to MLAs Dharmendra Rathore, Shanti Dhariwal and Mahesh Joshi, who is the chief whip of the party in the assembly. The party has not taken any action on the notices though the MLAs have responded to the charges against them.
The three MLAs are considered important for the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
In his letter, Maken said it was "imperative to have a new in-charge as soon as possible" as the Bharat Jodo Yatra is coming to Rajasthan early next month and there is a bypoll on December 4.
"Wedded to the ideology of Congress for the last three generations and being in active Congress politics for over 40 years, I will always remain an ardent follower of Rahul Ji, whom I trust and have faith in beyond words," Maken stated.
According to the sources, Maken stated that he wants to concentrate in Delhi through trade unions and NGOs.
He also intends to raise the issues of air pollution and fight for the rights of street vendors, slum dwellers and residents of unauthorised colonies, for whom he has made specific valuable contributions as a minister earlier, the sources said.
Kharge is now facing a three-sided challenge in the state, which goes to polls in less than a year from now. Maken's resignation has aggravated the pressure to act against Gehlot loyalists, who led the unprecedented rebellion, brining the state government to the brink of collapse in September.
The next challenge is the demand by Sachin Pilot camp to appoint him as the chief minister before Bharat Jodo Yatra enters the state. The issue was shelved for a couple of months in wake of the party presidential polls and on Ajay Maken's promise that the issue will be resolved within two days. However, a restless Pilot camp is now demanding a quick resolution to the issue.
Resolving these issues will be key to Rahul Gandhi's Yatra in the state to turn successful. The party pins its hopes on the march to be differentiating factor in the 2023 Assembly polls.
