The resignation of Rajasthan finance minister Chandanmal Baid yesterday exposed the chinks in the Congress' Rajasthan unit.
Apparently unaware of the fact that the state Governor, Justice Anshuman Singh, had already accepted Baid's resignation in Jaipur, Rajasthan Congress president Girija Vyas told Business Standard in Delhi that she was not aware of the resignation. She said she considered Baid to be a very senior leader and believed that his services were needed for the party and the state.
Vyas was waiting for Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot to arrive in Delhi after a day's campaigning in Haryana, unaware of the fact that the Chief Minister had already recommended Baid's resignation to the Governor for acceptance, before leaving for his Haryana tour.
A source close to Vyas, however, indicated that she was aware of the resignation and was planning to ask Gehlot not to accept it. She was waiting to meet the Chief Minister last evening and Congress president Sonia Gandhi over the issue. Obviously, the Vyas camp had no clue that the resignation had already been accepted.
Baid, who is over 80 years of age, is a very senior Congress leader and has been active in the party since the days of Indira Gandhi. He is said to be an upright man, but a bit obstinate and has not liked the way his nominees have not been given tickets by the party to contest in the Lok Sabha and the Assembly by-elections. His nominee Narendra Budania was not fielded by the party from the Churu Lok Sabha constituency.
He had demanded that his supporter Inder Singh Punia be fielded from the Churu Assembly constituency in the by-elections. However, the party did not accept his recommendation and fielded Ram Pratap Punia instead. Inder Punia remained in the field as a rebel candidate along with another party rebel. Polling for Assembly by-elections took place on Thursday and party sources said of the six constituencies going in for the by-elections, Churu would be the weakest for the party because of Baid's support to the rebels.
The two rebels were expelled from the Congress for six years when the All-India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan Prabha Rao took a tough posture against the rebels. Prabha Rao had told Business Standard on Thursday that she had taken a tough stand against all the rebels left in the field after all attempts to persuade them to withdraw had failed.
Baid had been camping in Churu for the last 17 days at a time when the state was witnessing an unprecedented employees' strike. In fact, one of his complaints against the Chief Minster is that he appointed a committee to negotiate with the striking employees totally ignoring him. It is believed that Baid played a pivotal role in organising Inder Punia's campaign.
Vyas was waiting to meet the CM and Congress president Sonia Gandhi last evening to discuss the issue. Obviously, the Vysas camp had no clue that the resignation had already been accepted
