Show of unity fails to quell Congress infighting in MP
The long-suspected factional divide within the Madhya Pradesh Congress has once again surfaced in public, exposing differences between senior leader Digvijaya Singh and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Jitu Patwari.
What began as a disagreement over allegations surrounding the Veer Bharat Nyas land allotment in Ujjain quickly snowballed into a political controversy, providing the BJP with fresh ammunition to attack the opposition while triggering criticism from within the Congress itself.
The controversy erupted after Jitu Patwari alleged that the Madhya Pradesh government had transferred land worth nearly Rs 500 crore in Ujjain to the Veer Bharat Nyas for a token amount of Re 1. Seeking to verify the claims, Digvijaya Singh visited Ujjain and publicly stated that there was nothing irregular in the transfer as the land had been allotted to a government trust. While defending the transaction, he remarked that “broker-like people” often level allegations for money. Though he did not name anyone, the statement was widely interpreted as a direct swipe at Patwari, whose allegations he had effectively contradicted.
The remarks immediately triggered political tremors within the Congress. The BJP accused the party of exposing its own contradictions, while Congress leaders themselves began expressing discomfort over the public disagreement.
State Congress General Secretary Nidhi Chaturvedi launched an unusually sharp attack on Digvijaya Singh through a social media post, questioning why a senior leader would publicly undermine the party’s own state president. She wrote that if Patwari was wrong, Singh should have corrected him privately rather than embarrassing the party before the public. Chaturvedi also alleged that Singh’s continued protection of his son was indirectly providing “oxygen” to the BJP. Former Union Minister Arun Yadav reportedly urged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to intervene and resolve the growing internal discord.
With the controversy threatening to spiral further, the party moved quickly to contain the damage. Digvijaya Singh and Jitu Patwari appeared together at a joint press conference in Bhopal in an apparent show of unity. Digvijaya dismissed reports of any rift, saying Patwari was “like a son” to him and clarifying that he had never intended to use the word “broker” for the PCC chief or any Congress leader. He stressed that the Congress remained united and that the misunderstanding had been deliberately amplified. However, despite the public display of solidarity, political circles remain unconvinced that the differences have been fully resolved. Congress insiders indicated that the damage-control exercise followed intervention by the party’s central leadership in New Delhi. According to party sources, Digvijaya Singh may have been pulled up by the high command after his remarks triggered a major embarrassment for the organisation. The subsequent joint press conference is being viewed as an attempt to publicly restore unity and prevent the issue from escalating further.
Political observers also noted that Digvijay Singh’s facial expressions during the joint appearance appeared restrained and unusually subdued, fuelling speculation that the veteran leader had been asked to defuse the controversy.