Is Congress a sinking ship in this biggest state of the country which played important role in formation of Central Government having maximum eighty Parliamentary seatsIJ

The manner in which senior leaders having very tall figure in the State politics where not keen to contest the battle of `ballots’ but preferring to go the Centre through back door pointed that these veterans in the Party clearly viewed that they had not even a ray hope in near feature of getting success by jumping into the direct elections and face electorate. Interestingly, this time the move of leaders from UP received a major setback as Congress high command announced candidature of Kapil Sibbal for Rajya Sabha seat from their quota.

Besides Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the two lok Sabha MPs from Uttar Pradesh, the tallest figure left in Congress here in the State is of veteran leader Pramod Tewari. Tewari, the man who never saw defeat in his carrier was a nine-time Member of the legislative Assembly (MlA) from Rampur Khas constituency in Pratapgarh. He also remained Congress legislative Party (ClP) leader in the State Assembly for about two decades.

However, Tewari, known to be champion of political arithmetic and an expert to set every thing in his favour to contest without any visible challenge, never tried to contest a Parliamentary elections. When he handed over his rein to his daughter Aradhna Mishra, elected MlA from the same constituency after resignation of Tewari, instead of going to contest the Parliamentary elections had proved that he was a master of all elections, preferred the back door entry and reached Rajya Sabha that too with support of Samajwadi Party. 

Another senior bureaucrat turned politician, Pl Punia, who became MP for the first time in 2009 and the Party also made him chairman of SC Commission, had not even resigned from the post after he lost last Parliament elections and his government was also ousted. Sources said that Punia is too aware that it is very difficult for him to repeat 2009 performance in Congress Party so like his senior partner Pramod Tewari, he too played his card well and get a back door entry to Rajya Sabha with the help of Samajwadi Party.

One more veteran politician, Sanjay Singh, who remained as one of the contender of chief minister’s post in the eighties, last time won MP election on Congress ticket in 2009. However, sources said that he too views very bleak chances of making to lower House of the Parliament through contest, so when he failed to reach to Upper House through back door from UP, he influenced the Gandhi family to give him a Rajya Sabha birth from Assam. Sources said that Singh once also pretended to leave Congress and even shared platform with some BJP leaders, forcing the Gandhi family to give him Rajya Sabha birth just to check his exit from the Party which might create some trouble for Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. 

Another veteran politicians from UP Beni Prasad Verma, who remained MP for several times and always contested elections, had too became non-active reportedly after finding himself at fourth position in last Parliamentary elections. Maintaining a silence for the last two years, Verma seems to have found no future for him in Congress as he sees it to be a sinking ship. Hence without seeing the embarassment brought to him by bowing down before Samajwadi Party supremo, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Beni preferred to go Parliament through back door entry. 

Now when time arrived for yet another back door entry to Rajya Sabha, besides other leaders like Captain Satish Sharma (outgoing Rajya Sabha member), Imran Masood, played their cards to get favour of the High Command, the man sitting on the top organisation post in Uttar Pradesh, state president Nirmal Khatri also tried his best to join the above elite club of reaching New Delhi through back door. Khatri remained on fourth spot in the last Parliament election. 

Sources said that Khatri, the man given task by both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to revive the Party in this biggest State, had witnessed the ground realities that it would be very difficult to lease any fresh life to the already dying Congress. Hence according to sources, Khatri had played his card well through his supporters as well as through AICC general secretary, Madhusudan Mistri, the incharge of Party affairs here in Uttar Pradesh, that unless he (Khatri) would be given some weight (like being a Rajya Sabha Member) it is very difficult to motivate the cadre to work and revive the Party and to accomplice the dream of getting back power in Uttar Pradesh.

Both Mistri and Khatri also met together with Sonia Gandhi last week and as per senior Congress leaders, Khatri also got an assurance of a Rajya Sabha birth at cost of Imran Masood, whom AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi wanted to award for ensuring a victory of Party candidate in Deoband by-polls. However, the Party high command shocked all the leaders from State when on Saturday, they announced the name of Kapil Sibbal, the leader having open backing from Samajwadi Party, for the Rajya Sabha birth from UP. Sibbal also reportedly got favour over local senior Congress leaders including Khatri just as was a senior lawyer and the Party needs more legal experts than pure politicians to face the charges of corruption leveled against many Congress leaders including Party president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Besides Sibbal, another senior lawyer Vivek Tankha also got favour of the high command for Rajya Sabha sent from Madhya Pradesh.