The Congress party's loss of power in Madhya Pradesh in 2020 remains a topic of discussion in Madhya Pradesh politics even today. Almost five years later, two senior Congress leaders, Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath, are still pointing fingers at each other over the issue.
MP Politics: In Madhya Pradesh, if we exclude a period of 15 months, the BJP has maintained continuous dominance over the last 22 years in the political landscape. The situation was such that even when Congress captured power in the state after a long time in 2018, there was only a slight difference in the number of seats between it and the BJP. Due to this minimal difference, the departure of just one major leader from the party could jeopardize the entire government. And that is what happened in 2020 when Jyotiraditya Scindia triggered a rebellion within the Congress, and the Congress government was ousted from power in just over a year.
Congress's Return in 2018 and Fall in 2020
In the 2018 assembly elections, Congress returned to power in Madhya Pradesh after a long time. In the 230-member assembly, Congress won 114 seats and BJP won 109 seats. This difference was so small that the discontent of any major leader could threaten the future of the government. That is exactly what happened. In 2020, Jyotiraditya Scindia's displeasure shook the foundation of the Congress, and the government fell.
Recently, in an interview, Digvijaya Singh said that Scindia left Congress to join BJP because the then Chief Minister Kamal Nath did not pay attention to his "wishlist." According to Digvijaya, personal differences between Kamal Nath and Scindia had increased in early 2020. To handle the situation, Digvijaya organized a meeting at an industrialist's house. In the meeting, a list of demands related to development works in the Gwalior-Chambal region was given to Kamal Nath, which he also signed.
Digvijaya alleges that no action was taken on this list, and as a result, Scindia decided to leave the party. He also said that "it was propagated that the government fell due to my and Scindia's fight, while the truth is that I had already warned that the government was in crisis."
Kamal Nath's Counterattack on Digvijaya's Allegations
After Digvijaya's allegations, Kamal Nath responded on social media. He said: There is no benefit in digging up old things. He wrote sarcastically that Scindia left Congress due to personal ambition. Kamal Nath also alleged that Scindia had the misconception that "Digvijaya Singh was running the government," and with this misconception, he toppled the government by breaking away the MLAs.
Scindia's Stance
Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia avoided commenting much, calling this dispute an old issue. While talking to reporters in Guna, he said: I will not comment on old things. Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari took the rhetoric of both senior leaders lightly. He said: There is mutual love and understanding between Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh. They know how to give issues for discussion to the people.
The BJP bly attacked this internal dispute of the Congress. Minister Vishwas Sarang said that the Congress is divided into factions, and the situation is getting "worse day by day." Rameshwar Sharma sarcastically said, "Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh were fighting yesterday and are fighting today as well. It is no use regretting now when the birds have eaten the field."
BJP spokesperson Ashish Aggarwal wrote that Kamal Nath's statement proves that the government was actually being run by "Mr. Bantadhar". He accused the Congress that corruption and disorder prevailed during that period, while the BJP gave a stable and development-oriented government.
How Did the Congress Government Fall in 2020?
In March 2020, around Holi, dramatic events were seen in the politics of Madhya Pradesh.
- 22 Congress MLAs resigned.
- This reduced the number of Congress from 114 to 92.
- After the resignations, the number of members in the assembly remained 208, and the majority figure became 105.
- BJP already had 107 MLAs, due to which it came into the majority.
- With this, the Kamal Nath government fell, and BJP returned to power.
This dispute is not only a symbol of the internal strife of the Congress, but it also shows how decisive personality clashes can be in the politics of Madhya Pradesh. The 15-month government of the Congress fell only because there was a lack of trust between two major leaders.
