Signs of strains within the Congress top leadership in Madhya Pradesh came out in public yet again with Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Saturday daring senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia to hit the streets to live up to his threat in support of agitating guest teachers.
The Congress continues to remain a divided house in Madhya Pradesh with differences between Chief Minister Kamal Nath and senior leader Jyotiraditya Scindia persisting and spilling out into the open.
"Toh utar jayein," was Nath's terse reply to media persons who asked him about Scindia's threat. Nath was in Delhi to attend the MP Coordination Committee meeting.
"The manifesto is for five years, right? It's not for five months," Nath told a news agency when asked about Scindia's remark.
Addressing a rally at Kudila village on Thursday, Scindia had said, "The manifesto is our sacred text. Have patience. If all the promises are not fulfilled, do not think you all are alone. Jyotiraditya Scindia will also hit the streets along with you."
Acrimony between Scindia and Nath has been continuing ever since the party high command preferred the latter for the Chief Minister's post after the Assembly polls in 2018. He also lost his parliamentary seat from Guna in the Lok Sabha elections last May.
On earlier occasions too, Scindia had hit out at the Nath dispensation on the issue of unfulfilled farm loan waiver promise.
The state government is seen to be struggling to fulfil its promise of farm loan waiver up to Rs 2 lakh as Scindia , much to the discomfiture of the Nath-headed government, has also been commenting on the issue.
The State Government would need around Rs 50,000 crore to implement the waiver scheme, according to an official estimate.
Guest teachers are also on protest in the state demanding regularisation of services and better pay.
Opposition leaders as well as Scindia and his faction of Congress functionaries have been critical of the administration over a range of issues.
The sniping from both sides is underway as even elections to the state Congress president's post, which Scindia has been aspiring for , is yet to take place.
In the recent past,the scion of Royal family also did not abide by the Congress line of opposing Modi-Government on its act of nullifying Article 370 which protected special status to J & K. He had also welcomed Airforce strike at terror destinations at Balakot in Pakistan.
Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh sought to deny any rift in the Madhya Pradesh unit saying Nath is doing his best to fulfill all the manifesto promises.
"All Congress leaders are together. 'Vachan patra' (manifesto) is meant for five years and Kamal Nath is making all effort to fulfill the promises. All of us are together. Scindia is not against anybody," said Singh.