The changes in the cabinet came just four months before the general elections, and the timing was impeccable. For even though V.C. Shukla, who is known to have Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao's ear, is up in arms, there is little the central leadership can do to thwart the chief minister. He can't possibly be destabilised on the eve of the polls.
The move, which is aimed primarily at strengthening Digvijay Singh's own position, is bound to create ripples not only in state politics, but also at the Centre. Understandably, the Congress high command is not at all happy with these moves. This is why the focus of the controversy shifted from Bhopal to New Delhi last week and Rao, who is also Congress president, gave a patient 30-minute hearing to Subhash Yadav, Madhya Pradesh's deputy chief minister and leader of the dissident factions. Yadav had made the trip to "apprise Rao of the latest developments" in the state and also to list his complaints against the chief minister.
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The dissidents' main grudge is that in the 48-member council of ministers, at least 12 known Arjun Singh loyalists have been allotted important ministries. The important portfolio of home and public relations (which was earlier with the chief minister) has been given to Charandas Mahant, a relatively junior leader who is close to Arjun Singh's son, Rahul Singh. Yadavendra Singh is another Arjun loyalist who has been promoted to cabinet rank and now has charge of the key Ministry of Excise.
Yadav, who distanced himself from Arjun Singh after his failure to get elected as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, feels he has been given a raw deal. He was earlier looking after agriculture and cooperatives but these have been taken away from him. This is seen as an especially hard blow since he has been associated with cooperatives for a long time and has been trying to establish himself as a peasant leader. Instead, he has been given charge of water resources and Narmada Valley development, which he thinks is a less important portfolio. Says a visibly disappointed Yadav: "It is like asking a peasant leader to become the leader of banias. Why does he (Digvijay Singh) want me to lead the banias? I never asked for the Ministry of Water Resources."
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But Digvijay Singh, it seems, had gone into the pros and cons, including the likely fallout, of what now appears to be a well-planned move. "In every reshuffle there is bound to be some heartburn. Some people who are not taken into the cabinet or promoted will be unhappy," he says. Neither is he particularly concerned about the noise and complaints made by the dissidents. "They have to accept what they have got," he shrugs. "Now I have no portfolios left."
The chief minister dismisses the allegation that Arjun loyalists have been promoted. For example, he notes, Banshmani Prasad Verma, an opponent of Arjun Singh, has been inducted into the council. On the other hand,Indrajit Patel, a loyalist of the former HRD minister has not been promoted. "People only see what they want to see," points out Digvijay Singh.
However, many Congressmen feel that the chief minister is deliberately playing Arjun Singh's game. There are indications that Arjun Singh may not contest from Satna, his present constituency, but will fight the elections from Khajuraho. The manner in which funds are being pumped in for rural development in Khajuraho is a pointer to this, they allege. Besides, in the latest reshuffle, the MLA from Teekamgarh (which falls under the Khajuraho parliamentary constituency), Harvansh Singh, an Arjun Singh loyalist, has been included in the cabinet and given the important portfolio of panchayat and rural development.
Had there not been the Arjun Singh factor, the Prime Minister could have afforded to ignore these developments. But with the threat from his former colleague in the Union cabinet looming large, Rao not only gave time to Yadav, but also advised him to stay away from the press as "it will help the rival camp".
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That any move to boost Arjun Singh loyalists will not be tolerated by Rao became clear with reports that the chief minister was directed by the party high command not to accept the resignations of two dissident ministers, Ashok Rao and Ram Sewak Rawat.
The allocation of portfolios on December 28 had left both ministers fuming. Two days later they faxed letters to the Congress president, requesting permission to resign from the ministry. They pointed out that by inducting and favouring Arjun Singh's men, Dijvijay Singh had virtually humiliated the party leadership. Says Ashok Rao, a Shukla confidant who was given the lightweight portfolio of urban welfare: "When a baby is born, people try to see some resemblance in its face with that of its father. Here the entire council of ministers resembles Arjun Singh."
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It is more than evident that some of the inductions into the ministry have been made with a view to minimising the influence of the Shuklas in their fiefdom, Raigarh. Significantly, Satya Narain Sharma, a camp follower of Arjun Singh from Raigarh, has been made minister of state with independent charge of mineral resources and environment.
The dilemma the Shuklas are facing is essentially two-fold. If they accept the challenge and mobilise their loyalists against Digvijay Singh, they will be held responsible for destabilising a Congress government which will be counterproductive for them in the Lok Sabha elections. On the other hand, if the chief minister is allowed to have his way, their own support base will be eroded.
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Nobody understands this better than Digvijay Singh. He has taken a calculated risk to checkmate S.C. Shukla, who was an aspirant for chief minister ship and has never seen eye to eye with the chief minister.
Obviously, Digvijay Singh's latest cabinet restructuring was a well-timed move and is an indication of his confidence that, with just four months left for the general elections, the party high command is in no position to take action against him. He is also confident that any attempt to foment trouble will boomerang on the trouble-makers, notably the Shuklas. Says Digvijay Singh smugly: "They have to fight elections, they can't afford to create problems."
