Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari engaged in a verbal exchange during a State Congress meeting held in Bhopal on Friday.
File Photo: IANS
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari engaged in a verbal exchange during a State Congress meeting held in Bhopal on Friday.
The exchange took place during meeting of the Congress Scheduled Caste Cell and its district presidents. Singh alleged that members from the Valmiki and Basod communities were not adequately represented in the state Congress and urged Patwari to ensure their inclusion. He remarked that Patwari enjoys significant influence with the party high command and could secure approvals from K. C. Venugopal.
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Singh added that among all state Congress chiefs, Patwari has the “most free hand” with the All India Congress Committee (AICC), saying, “No one has a hold on the AICC like you.”
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Responding, Patwari said, “I am your disciple only.”
Singh retorted, “Yes, you are my disciple, but the guru has been reduced to jaggery, while the disciple has become sugar,” drawing attention to internal dynamics within the party.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized on the incident, terming it evidence of internal discord within the Congress and describing it as a case of “home war.”
In a separate development on the same day, Singh met Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav at the CM House in Bhopal. According to officials, the meeting focused on the ongoing wheat procurement process in the state.
The Chief Minister informed Singh that procurement slots for over 8 million metric tonnes of wheat have already been booked and the figure continues to rise.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to procuring wheat from farmers and said that all necessary arrangements have been put in place, adding that he is personally monitoring the process.
The meeting is being seen as significant, as it is likely the first one-on-one interaction between Singh and Yadav since the latter assumed office in December 2023.
Singh, a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, completed his second consecutive Rajya Sabha term on April 9 and has announced that he will not seek a third term. However, the Congress has not yet declared its candidate for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in the state.
If the party does not renominate him, the 79-year-old veteran leader may remain without any public or constitutional office after several years in active politics.
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