Rift Emerges In Madhya Pradesh Congress Ahead Of Elections

The rift seems to have erupted in Congress ahead of Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections as the party’s state unit vice-president Damodar Singh, burnt the effigies of 
Digvijaya Singh and his son Jaivardhan Singh in Bhopal on Saturday.

Damodar Singh accusing Digvijaya Singh and his son Jaivardhan Singh of not fielding enough candidates from the Other Backward Class (OBC) despite his insistence. 

Miffed over the movie, Damodar Singh resigned from the party and said he was fielding his candidates in 15 seats, reported HT.

Damodar Singh's supporters protested right outside the party's office in Bhopal, the report said.

He said the father-son duo was attempting to set fire to the Congress by not letting it be a party of the poor and backward people, the report mentioned.

He also accused them of trying to tarnish Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's image, the report mentioned.

Damodar Singh, the state president of the party's OBC unit, alleged he had demanded 126 seats for the backward classes but Digvijaya Singh gave only 55.

"Being the state president of the backward class, I demanded 126 tickets for the backward class in Madhya Pradesh, but they (the party) gave only 55 tickets. There is a relative of Digvijaya Singh who is the chairman of the screening committee. When these people rule, how will the backward people get their rights? Those whose population is not even five lakh in the state were given 35 tickets. While the population of backward class people is around 3.5 crore in the state, they are being given only 55 tickets," he as quoted as having said.

Meanwhile, former Congress MLA from Mhow, Antar Singh Darbar, also held a protest. 

He said the party fielded Ram Kishore Shukla from the seat who joined the Congress just a month back.

He said Shukla was in the BJP for 20 years. He joined the party 27 days ago and got the ticket.

"Congress has been my mother, that is why I have come back. A few days ago I had a discussion with Antar Singh Darbar. At that time he had said that whoever gets the ticket will work together and make the party win. Right now every seat is important to form the Kamal Nath government in the state. If he (Darbar) can't understand this, then it is a form of protest against the party. Congress party is united," Shukla said, as per the report. 

BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan, meanwhile, accused Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh of furthering the political careers of their sons.