Chhattisgarh: Sonia reaches Rahul’s residence after severe friction over CM post

Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service 
New Delhi, December 15

Congress is facing severe trouble negotiating the chief minister’s post in Chhattisgarh, with UPA chief Sonia Gandhi now getting involved in talks.

Sonia Gandhi reached her son and Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s residence a while ago to iron out differences among chief minister hopefuls. 

The Tribune has learnt that after Gandhis veered around to Congress OBC cell chief Tamradhwaj Sahu’s name for the top position, other contenders nearly rebelled saying they won’t even join the state cabinet and will serve only as elected MLAs.

After Rahul Gandhi settled for Sahu to please the large OBC caste base in Chhattisgarh, other aspirants for the  post—outgoing CLP leader TS Singhdeo, ex-union minister Charandas Mahant and State unit chief Bhupesh Baghel—told the leadership they would neither accept the post of a deputy chief minister nor take oath as ministers in the cabinet.

Their contention is that Sahu is a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament brought to the state at the last minute to contest an assembly seat, and that he had no role in fighting the BJP Government in Chhattisgarh for the past five years.

Rahul Gandhi had asked AICC observer Mallikarjun Kharge to pacify the leaders and get them to agree on Sahu, but other contenders are yet to be mollified.

That explains fresh discussions on the issue, with Sonia Gandhi getting involved and all contenders again being consulted.

Rahul Gandhi is still looking for the picture of unity from Chhattisgarh before he finally gives out a name of the chief minister. Similar pictures of unity of warring state leaders had been posted by Gandhi on his Twitter timeline before the name of chief ministers in Rajasthan and MP were announced

A picture for Chhattisgarh is still awaited.