Is it time for Kamal Nath to pave way for Jyotiraditya Scindia in MP?

Bhopal, May 29: Chief Minister Kamal Nath is now facing a rebellion within the party as three ministers of Madhya Pradesh government, demanded that Jyotiraditya Scindia be given charge of the state party.

According to the reports, Scindia was most likely to take over the rein of Congress in MP to revive the sagging morale of party cadre caused by the debacle of Congress in LS in the state.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi's recent remarks obliquely suggesting Kamal Nath, P Chidambaram and Ashok Gehlot's extra care for sons has revived murmurs against the leadership in Madhya Pradesh.

Scindia lost out on the Madhya Pradesh chief minister's post to Kamal Nath after a Congress victory, but was appointed as one of the two general secretaries - along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra - in charge of rebuilding the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.

Scindia was in charge of western Uttar Pradesh, but neither he nor Priyanka Gandhi apparently made any impact; the Congress has been reduced to one seat - that of Sonia Gandhi - with party chief Rahul Gandhi losing Amethi.

Imarti Devi, the Women and Child Development Minister insisted that Scindia was an energetic leader and that Congress president Rahul Gandhi should offer "him a bigger responsibility". Something like giving him command of the state, Devi told the media.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister Pradyuman Singh Tomar, another Scindia loyalist echoed the same view and said "I'm not saying this because I am a supporter of Scindiaji but Congress workers across the state want a young and energetic leader to lead them and the party."

Nath was willing to step down from PCC chief post after he was made the CM in December last year, saying that it was very challenging to hold two important charges as chief minister and PCC president.

However, he was asked by the party high command to continue in party post in view of the LS elections held barely six months after last year's assembly polls in the state.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) handed a surprising loss to the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh on May 23, the biggest blow perhaps came in the form of Jyotiraditya Scindia's defeat in his den -Guna, which his family has been winning since the independence.

Scindia lost to his time-tested constituency to BJP's Dr KP Yadav by over a lakh votes.