5 Other Times The Grand Old Party Faced Internal Dissent

With just few weeks to go for assembly elections in Kerala, Congress leader from the state PC Chacko resigned from the party after writing a letter to Sonia Gandhi saying that it had become difficult to be a Congress leader in Kerala.

Pointing to the fact that the Congress has not had a president for over a year, Chacko said that there was no democracy left in Congress and added that the candidate list was not discussed with the state Congress committee.

The move has not been unique as in the recent past the grand old has suffered a series of internal dissent and resignations, here’s a list:

Ghulam Nabi Azad

Ghulam Nabi Azad stirred a controversy in the party soon after his tenure as Rajya Sabha MP ended last month. The veteran leader hinted a confrontation with the party as some of the members of the G-23 including Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma held a rally in Jammu indicating a challenge to the party leadership. The meeting was significant as it was the first public appearance of the group that in August last year, had written to Sonia Gandhi urging her to ensure ‘full time’ and ‘visible’ leadership.

Jyotiraditya Scindia

Jyotiraditya Scindia who resigned from Congress last year in March not only gave a jolt to the party but also led to resignation of Kamal Nath from chief ministership in Madhya Pradesh. Scindia resignation was followed by resignation from 22 Congress legislators, including six ministers that later led to the formation of BJP government in MP. In his resignation letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi dated March 9, Scindia said “it is now time for me to move on” as he was unable to serve the people of the country while remaining in the party.

Sachin Pilot

Sachin Pilot led a rebellion against CM Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan as he along with 18 MLAs had rebelled against the Congress-run state government. The month long political crisis in the state was seen as a move to topple the government led by CM Gehlot. Pilot was removed as the Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister and state party chief soon after the ‘rebellion’. However, he returned to Jaipur and had a meeting with Rahul Gandhi signaling an “amicable resolution”.

Kapil Sibal and Shashi Tharoor

While some G-23 members gathered in Jammu to felicitate Azad, Kapil Sibal was among the six members in Jammu for a show of solidarity and a dare to the party. The G-23 members in a letter last year had demanded a re-haul and reform within the Congress party. The list also included prominent politicians including Shashi Tharoor. Kapil Sibal has served as Additional Solicitor General of India and President of the Supreme Court Bar Association on three occasions. He has also formerly served at the helm of various ministries in the Congress-led UPA government.