Rebellion brewing in Congress? Ajit Jogi breaks away to form his own party

With speculation rife that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi might be elevated to the party top post, there are indications of an internal rebellion in the grand old party. Chhattisgarh Congress leader and former chief minister Ajit Jogi is reportedly unhappy over the Gandhi scion’s impending elevation and has decided to form his own party.

In turn, the party has decided to expel him from the party.“The Working Committee of the Congress has decided to expel Jogi. His statements against the party are doing harm to the party,” Chhattisgarh Congress general secretary Shailesh Nitin Trivedi was quoted by News18  as saying.

According to The Economic Times , recent electoral setbacks have increased the clamour for Rahul Gandhi’s elevation. A Chintan Shivir, slated to take place in the near future is being seen as an indication of a generational shift in the party leadership.

In an exclusive to Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar , Jogi hit back at the Congress party. Alleging that there is no space for mass leaders in the party, he said that the party is no longer the party of Nehru,Indira and Rajiv Gandhi.

The report added that about 10-12 Congress MLA’s in the state are reportedly close to him.

The Congress party has 39 MLAs in the state assembly.

Lamenting the alleged step-motherly treatment of the central high command against his state, he said that forming a new party is the only way to defeat the Raman Singh government. “I will take along new people, especially youth, to end this ’loot’ of Chhattisgarh,” Jogi was quoted by Zee News as saying.

Ajit Jogi was in the news in December 2015, when The Indian Express  reported about an audio tape allegedly involving him. In the audio tape, he and his son Amit were allegedly heard seeking bribes to fix a bypoll to the Antagarh assembly seat for the BJP. The Congress candidate had withdrawn from the fray and the BJP retained the seat comfortably.

Ajit Jogi, a former IAS officer, became the state’s first chief minister, after it was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000.

His rebellion may be an indication of Congress old guard’s attempt to show dissatisfaction to work under Rahul Gandhi, when reports suggest that there could be a generational change in the party.

It remains to be seen whether Ajit Jogi’s move will affect the unity of the Congress party in other states.