In T.S. Singh Deo’s elevation as Deputy Chief Minister in Chhattisgarh, the Congress high command has sent a strong signal to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to take everybody along to keep a united front ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled in few months in the State.
In an order released Wednesday late night, the party had announced Mr. Deo’s promotion, settling a four-year-long feud. Since the party’s emphatic victory in the State in 2018, Mr. Deo has been invoking former Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s assurance that he would be handed over the reins halfway through the government tenure. Mr. Deo has largely maintained equanimity barring the only instance of public protest in July 2022 while relinquishing the Panchayati Raj portfolio and releasing a four-page-long resignation letter attacking his own government.
“The Baghel government has done very well and with this change the party stands united. The message is that all leaders and social groups must be carried along,” said a top-ranking Congress official.
The move was dictated largely by three reasons. One, there was a growing feeling that the party organisation in the State was weakening, with increasing centralisation of power with the Chief Minister’s Office. Second, while the increasing OBC assertion by Mr. Baghel — a Backward Class leader himself — strengthened support for the Congress among new social groups, tribal communities that form a loyal base of the party were getting anxious. Third, Mr. Deo’s isolation could impact results in at least 14 Assembly seats in north Chhattisgarh, where he holds sway.
For Mr. Baghel, it was a winner’s curse. As the State unit president, he was applauded for constructing a robust organisation that led the party to victory. Being in power for the last four years, the party’s organisational network has emaciated. The central leadership now seeks to mend this.
The question of an ideological deviation also figured in a meeting on Wednesday to fine-tune party strategy for the forthcoming Assembly polls, according to sources. The Chief Minister’s formula for popularity includes an overt emphasis to promote the State as a destination for Hindu pilgrims, highlighting it as Lord Ram’s maternal home. The latest in this series of efforts by the CM was the International Ramayana Festival organised by the State government on June 1-3. While the central leadership is cognisant of the tactical reasoning for this, it is also concerned that the party has to be welcoming of all religions. Mr. Baghel has now been advised to maintain the party’s distinction from the BJP and “not fall into the Hindutva trap”.
Mr. Baghel appears to have taken the counsel in his stride. His son Chaitanya drove Mr. Deo to the Chief Minister’s personal residence, under the glare of cameras on Thursday. But the road back to the power corridor won’t be straight for Mr. Deo. It remains to be seen whether he will be given any meaningful responsibilities other than the Health portfolio he continues to hold.
For Mr. Deo, steadfast loyalty has paid off. Mr. Deo didn’t warm up to the BJP’s overtures, publicly declaring that he would not go with them under any circumstance. A smiling Mr. Deo, who arrived at Raipur on Thursday, announced that all problems could eventually be resolved through dialogue. The Congress, he insisted, remains united. “Our priority will be to work together for the development of the State. I will fulfil the responsibilities given to me. The biggest responsibility is to take everyone along. We will fight together and that is how the Congress works.”
The political intrigue is far from over. The Baghel government on Thursday appointed Nand Kumar Sai as Chairman of the Chhattisgarh State Development Corporation, a Cabinet post. Mr. Sai had recently quit the BJP to join the Congress. He is a tribal leader from Sarguja region, which falls in the erstwhile princely state that Mr. Deo’s family ruled in pre-Independent India. This move is seen as Mr. Baghel’s effort to counter Mr. Deo.
(With inputs from Shubhomoy Sikdar)
