Leaders in Congress lose hope amid rudderless leadership, not power struggles, says expert

There are reports that Kamal Nath is upset about being removed from the post of Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief after the party's defeat in the Assembly Polls.

The political grapevine is that Kamal Nath may join the BJP. However, the current Madhya Pradesh Congress President, Jitu Patwari said that Kamal Nath is not joining the BJP. Patwari told the news agency PTI that Nath has told him that he was a Congressman and will remain in the party.

Pankaj Sharma, a former advisor to Kamal Nath, expressed confidence that Nath would never abandon the Congress. Sharma emphasised Nath's longstanding association with the party and questioned whether the BJP could offer him the same level of respect and influence within its ranks.

Addressing concerns about Nath's purported dissatisfaction, Sharma clarified that Nath voluntarily resigned from his position as PCC chief after the party's electoral setback in Madhya Pradesh, suggesting a desire to facilitate the rise of younger leadership within the state.

He added, “One, he never expected or he never demanded a Rajya Sabha seat and two, he was never removed from PCC chief's post. He himself offered his resignation after the debacle of the Congress Party in Madhya Pradesh. He told the leadership that this is the time when the state leadership should be given to some young person. So why would he be upset? He was running the show in Madhya Pradesh for quite some time. He has been a minister in the centre for a long period.”

Ratan Sharda, political analyst said, “In Congress, leaders see no future not because of power because they see nothing left of Congress rudderless leadership.”

Sharda highlighted the need for introspection within the Congress, emphasising that blaming external factors such as the BJP overlooks the party's internal shortcomings.

He pointed to the departure of long-standing Congress leaders and underscored the urgency for the party to rejuvenate itself.

“They have lost a series of leaders, even hardcore Congress people, for example, Ashokrao Chavan in Maharashtra, so there is a serious dearth, they have to look inward. The Congress journalists or Congress supporters keep on blaming the BJP, but they have to look inside, why are these leaders who never left Congress in the last 10 years of being out of power suddenly find difficult, or uncomfortable in that party that is a question.”

Senior Congress leader and MP Manish Tewari sparked speculation about joining the BJP, just a day after fresh rumours swirled around former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath, according to reports.

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, senior Maharashtra Congress leaders Baba Siddique and Milind Deora, have also resigned from the Congress party.