Amid rift in MP Congress, Scindia to meet Sonia tomorrow

New Delhi, September 11 (IANS): Congress Party interim President Sonia Gandhi will meet party General Secretary Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday on the sidelines of the meeting of all the general secretaries, state in-charges and state chiefs called on to discuss the plans for the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, party leaders said here on Wednesday.

 

According to a senior Congress leader, wishing not to be named, Scindia, who was earlier summoned to meet Sonia on Monday over the infighting in Madhya Pradesh for the post of the state unit chief, but that did not happen.

 

"The issue of the leadership crisis in the state is likely to be discussed between the two leaders on Thursday during the meeting," he said.

 

He also said that Sonia Gandhi will also ask Scindia to present his case in detail in next few days.

 

The Congress has called the meeting of all the general secretaries, state in-charges, state unit chiefs, secretaries and frontal organisation chiefs to discuss the party's plans for the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

 

Kamal Nath had met Sonia Gandhi on Saturday evening and said that he had a discussion over the state issue.

 

"She expressed her concern over discipline issue in the party in Madhya Pradesh," the Chief Minister had said.

 

The crisis in the Madhya Pradesh Congress snowballed into a full-fledged war between senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia faction and the rest. Many of the Scindia supporters have openly vented their anger against Kamal Nath and former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh.

 

According to party leaders, Sonia Gandhi is taking feedback from the party leaders over the new state Congress chief. The party leaders said that the decision on new state Congress head will be decided in next 10-15 days.

 

On Friday, miffed over the infighting and many party leaders openly speaking to media demanding senior party leader Scindia be made the state unit chief, Sonia Gandhi has sought a report from state in-charge Deepak Babaria over the issue.

 

Speculations are rife that Digvijaya Singh has been opposing Scindia's candidature as state unit head. Late last year, Scindia was in the race for Chief Minister when the party won the Assembly election defeating the BJP. However, the then Congress President Rahul Gandhi named long-time Congress loyalist Nath for the top post.