Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said his former colleague Jyotiraditya Scindia got scared of his political future and joined hands with the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The former Congress chief, who called himself a friend of Mr. Scindia, claimed that the latter would not get respect from the BJP.
Also read | Jyotiraditya Scindia is BJP's Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh
“This is a fight of ideology. One of the one side, you have the ideology of the Congress party and on other side, you have the RSS-BJP ideology….Jyotiraditya Scindia ji got scared about his political future and that’s why he kept his ideology in his pocket and joined hands with the RSS,” Mr. Gandhi told reporters outside the Parliament complex.
“But the reality is that neither will he get respect there nor will he be satisfied because of the ideology that is in his heart. What is inside his heart and what he is speaking are two different things,” he added.
I have sacrificed everything and joined the BJP, says Jyotiraditya Scindia
This is his first public statement after Mr. Scindia's exit that set off a chain reaction among younger Congress leaders who are restive and worried about their political future. With substantially reduced political clout after back to back electoral rout (2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls), several of them are reported to be weighing their options. Uncertainty over the presidentship of the party has only added to their dilemma.
Also read | Analysis: Scindia’s rising discontentment in Madhya Pradesh was obvious
Asked if younger leaders close to him would be accommodated in the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Gandhi said, “I am not the Congress president and don’t decide on Rajya Sabha tickets”.
Amid reports that the BJP could now target the Congress government in Rajasthan where Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot shares a frosty relationship with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Mr. Pilot sent a cryptic tweet on Wednesday. “Unfortunate to see @JM_Scindia parting ways with @INCIndia. I wish things could have been resolved collaboratively within the party,” he said in an indication that the ‘collaborative’ effort was missing.
Congress’s Harayana lawmaker Kuldeep Bishno too had tweeted that “the leadership should have done more to convince Mr. Scindia to stay” and asserted that “young leaders who have the capacity to work hard and resonate with the masses need to be empowered”.
“Ask not what your party can do for you, ask what you can do for your party.... It’s a defining moment for all of us in @INCIndia. If anyone is feeling alienated pls don’t, just get involved post or no post. Young vs old narrative is a hollow one, we need everyone,” Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev tweeted on Thursday.
