A few days ago, political discussions are going on regarding former Union Minister of State Milind Deora leaving Congress. He has joined Shinde faction of Shiv Sena. The leader of this group is Eknath Shinde, who became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra after breaking away from the parent party led by Uddhav Thackeray and joining hands with the BJP. Devra’s departure is not a notable event and perhaps he has taken this decision with the intention of contesting from South Mumbai Lok Sabha seat from some party. His late father Murali Devra used to be the MP from this seat. After his death, Milind Deora represented this area, but later he lost twice to Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena. If Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena forms an alliance with Congress, then Uddhav can claim this seat. In such a situation the daughter-in-law does not get anything. In such a situation, his decision to leave the party can be understood. On one level it is about survival and an effort to maintain political relevance so that the family legacy can be saved. Therefore, Devra’s decision should not be considered wrong nor should he be given credit for it.
After leaving the party, his allegation of Congress being anti-business can also be understood. Perhaps this could help him and the Shinde group get the support of some big businessmen, but in the present context it is difficult to say how much vote benefit they will get from this. Devra is also an industrialist-businessman and is also close to some big business families. In the past, the father and son have been known to raise funds for Congress. The diamond traders brought on the stage by Murli Devra used to line up and donate huge donations to the party and get their photographs clicked with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. When Murli Deora was the Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister in the Manmohan Singh government, the issue of ‘conflict of interest’ was raised due to his closeness to Reliance Group chief Mukesh Ambani. This issue was raised by Mukesh Ambani’s brother Anil Ambani, but Congress and Manmohan Singh did not pay any attention to this serious issue. Mukesh Ambani and Uday Kotak had separately supported Milind Deora’s candidature in 2019, but he could not win. Although such support was not expected to increase votes, it was strange that businessmen, who usually take interest in politics behind the scenes, were willing to openly support Milind Deora. This happened when he was in Congress and BJP was in power at the Center and the state and it also received maximum donations.
It is meaningless to say that Devra’s leaving the party on January 15 was an attempt to reduce the impact of Rahul Gandhi’s visit that started from Manipur on the same day, but there is definitely a big message for the Congress in this resignation and it is such a message that This will help in strengthening the party. The party can choose credible people for its reconstruction and to connect people with the objectives of Rahul Gandhi’s pre-poll visit – unity and justice. It is true for any political party, especially the Congress which has been in power for a long time, that many types of workers keep joining it and with time come into leadership roles. Same is the case with BJP also. Among such people, some will be opportunists, some will say yes and some will be people without ideological commitment. They may be rich and may have good contacts and using these they may try to move ahead in the party, so that they can take advantage of power for their own interests. Due to lack of power and ability to raise money, such players become uncomfortable and separate from the party. Something similar has happened with Congress in recent times. This indicates the party’s weakness in some cases and strength in others. The weakness is that the party retains such people in the organization and also gives them important posts, which they use to increase their scope and influence. Congress has been hesitant in taking action against some such courtiers. There are many complex reasons for this, one of which is that the party’s image has become that of a corrupt party and now it is no longer in power nor does it have the ability to influence.
Even when Congress was in a strong position, it was lax in sidelining unwanted elements. BJP is very sharp and clear on this matter – you work for the party, the party does not work for you. Some people may argue that in BJP you work for one person. This criticism may be justified, but BJP’s efforts to bring forward new and energetic faces cannot be simply dismissed. Congress should understand that listening is important for internal democracy in the party, but it should not come under the pressure of demands and threats. For example, it is being said that Devra had contacted Congress through Jairam Ramesh about losing the ticket in the 2024 elections. He wanted to meet Rahul Gandhi, but if it is in the interest of the Congress and the opposition to not give ticket to Devra and field an MP from Thackeray’s Shiv Sena, who has won from that seat twice, then what should be done? The answer is clear that Devra should work for the party, where his capability will be assessed and the ticket will be decided on that basis. This clear message should go to all Congress workers. If all the workers know and understand that there is a national level task before them, which is much bigger than fighting for their own ticket.
(These are the personal views of the author.)