Reduced to mere 58 members in the House of 230 in Madhya Pradesh with three consecutive defeats in the State Assembly elections, the Congress party refuses to take any lesson from the past.
Factionalism persists with full might and the mighty leaders having hold in day-to-day affairs of the party continue to ignore the communities and those workers and supporters of the Congress that used to play most important role in strengthening the grand-old party. The reasons attributed by the party supporters for grand old party being marginalised in the State include setting aside to those leaders and workers who remain active and are considered as face of the party among the masses and giving priority to sycophants and blue eyed boys of Satraps in ticket distribution during elections, be they of civic body, assembly or parliamentary elections. Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress president Kunal Chowdhry and State chairman of the minorities department of the Congress party have raised voice against the prevailing system in the party.
Chowdhry while talking to The Pioneer over telephone said, “It is unfortunate that those who remain active during party programs are set aside during ticket distributions and those who are not seen anywhere are fielded by the party. It is Youth Congress (YC) and National Students Union of India (NSUI) workers that remain ahead in party program and faces canes and bullets, but when the time of ticket distribution comes YC and NSUI are neglected and the blue eyed boys and sycophants of big leaders are provided tickets.”
Chowdhry further said that in times of struggle of the party the youth should be brought forward and groomed. They should be provided more and more tickets in the civic elections so that their participation could be encouraged in party activities, he added. He said, “I have raised the issue before the party leadership and have been assured by them that due representation would be provided to the YC and NSUI workers in the ensuing municipal and ongoing Panchayat elections.”
Saleem said, “The main reason for the party being marginalised in the State and country is negligence of minorities and Tribal’s, that used to be the main constituents of it. Due to the continuous negligence of the Congress these communities drifted away from the Congress resulting in shrinking the mass base of the party.” Saleem further said that the condition has gone so worst that the party is not even providing ticket to minority candidates from those areas that have majority of its population. The continuous negligence of the party has angered the community that now don’t even hesitates to support the BJP, once considered as untouchable by it, he added.
He said that if the same pattern continued than the days are not far when the party would not get workers for its important programs. The need of the hour is that more and more people of the community should be brought in party fold and that could only be done by providing participation in power, he added.