BJP's Dig At Ex-MP Arun Yadav Over Call For Unity In Congress

After former Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Arun Yadav posted on social media stressing that "speeches alone will not suffice" to counter toxic ideologies, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seized the moment to mock the Congress' organisational campaign.

But Yadav's remarks come at a time when the MPCC is already struggling to manage its internal dynamics. 

Yadav wrote, "It is impossible to fight toxic ideologies with speeches and statements alone. We will fight with everyone in coordination and unity for our ideology, keeping everyone together. Only then will our dream of forming a government in the state be realized. If we adopt even one percent of the courage and honesty with which our leader Rahul Gandhi is fighting in Madhya Pradesh, the path of struggle will become easier."

His remarks come amid continuing murmurs within the Congress after its organisation creation campaign. Earlier, CWC member and former minister Kamleshwar Patel had questioned the role of the state leadership and in-charge, while the former Bhopal district president alleged irregularities in the membership drive.

Backing Yadav, former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh also shared his post, while senior leader and former law minister PC Sharma clarified, "The objective of both Arun Yadav and Kamleshwar Patel is not to weaken the Congress. The Political Affairs Committee will discuss all these matters. The PCC chief and the state in-charge must work in coordination."

The BJP, however, was quick to pounce. BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma said, "This is the Congress's lazy organisation-building program. Meetings are held, fights break out, the stage collapses, people throw each other off the stage, and kurtas and pajamas are torn. The more intense the fights in meetings, the stronger the Congress appears. From what Arun Yadav, Kamleshwar Patel, and others are saying, this is their new organization-building mantra. Now let's see what happens next."

Since December 2023, Jitu Patwari has replaced Kamal Nath as the state Congress president-a transition that itself reflected the party's attempt to reset its leadership after electoral defeat.

Meanwhile, rivals Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh have long led parallel factions within the state, often trading veiled jabs and manoeuvering for influence during Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) decisions. Recently, the two veteran leaders appeared to signal a truce. Singh, in a podcast interview, had publicly blamed Nath's leadership for the collapse of the Congress government in 2020, reigniting old wounds.

Nath, in turn, issued a measured response. Leaders close to Patwari later sought to downplay the differences, reminding party cadres of the long personal ties between the two and emphasising the need to look ahead rather than dwell on past conflicts.

Against this backdrop,  Yadav's call for ideological unity and coordinated action lands amid revived scrutiny of Congress's internal cohesion and gives the BJP fresh fodder to critique a party long haunted by factionalism.