Taking a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for criticising Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia over his royal roots, leader of Opposition in the State Assembly, Ajay Singh on Sunday said it only reflected the party's frustration and fear of losing the forthcoming State polls.
The BJP's statement that royals like Jyotiraditya would make no difference to Congress' fortunes only showed its frustration and nothing else, Ajay said in a statement.
Scindia was recently appointed chairman of the Madhya Pradesh Congress election campaign committee. The Assembly polls in the state are slated around year end.
Ajay said he found the BJP's remarks that Congress had no faith in Tribals strange, when State Congress unit president Kantilal Bhuria was himself a tribal.
Congress had performed poorly in Vindhya region in the 2008 Assembly elections. The situation is much better this time and the party may bag 17 to 20 seats from there, the leader claimed.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Kantilal Bhuria said, "Before calling Jyotiraditya feudal, BJP should not forget that Jyotiraditya's paternal aunts Yashodhara Raje and Vasundhara Raje are members of the saffron party (BJP)."
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had criticised Scindia's appointment saying that Congress leadership has "insulted" tribal community by choosing "royal" Scindia.
Bhuria, who was recently made the head of State election committee and himself a tribal, said Congress would contest the upcoming Assembly elections without naming its chief ministerial candidate.