'Congress must give tickets to young candidates'

'There is a big communication gap between Congress leaders and party workers.'

A rather unusual incident took place in Madhya Pradesh recently.

A politician declined to contest an election.

The Khandwa Lok Sabha seat fell vacant after Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nandkumar Singh Chauhan's unfortunate demise. The Congress decided to field its seasoned 47-year-old leader Arun Yadav for the by-election on October 30, 2021.

Yadav stepped out of the electoral contest and said the ticket should be given to a younger candidate.

The Congress, instead, gave the ticket to 70-year-old Raj Narayan Singh Purni.

"The decision is taken by the party, so I agree with it. I have to," Arun Yadav tells A Ganesh Nadar/Rediff.com with a laugh.

Why did you decide not to contest the Khandwa by-election?

I have already stood for elections five times -- four for the Lok Sabha and once for the assembly against the present chief minister of Madhya Pradesh (the BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan).

I thought our leaders should give new people a chance this time.

You are only 47 years old, yet you feel a younger candidate should be given a chance.

People in their thirties should come in so that we can develop the party.

Your party has given the ticket to a 70-year-old candidate.

(Laughs.) The decision is taken by the party, so I agree with it. I have to.

Do you feel you cannot do anything in Parliament because the BJP has an absolute majority?

It is a by-election, so it is for the short term. You cannot do much in a short time.

Your party won the assembly election and yet could not rule for five years. Why?

I do not know how it happened. I believe lack of communication between the party leaders and the party workers was the reason.

We could have managed it with better communication.

Some of your MLAs have defected. Is that why you decided not to contest this election?

No! That was not the reason.

Are you planning to contest the next assembly elections?

I don't know. If the party thinks I am a suitable candidate, I will definitely go for it.

As a former Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee chief, how do you see the future of your party in your state?

There are only two parties here -- the Congress and the BJP.

We have a strong base, so we have a good chance. But we have to work for it. We can do a lot for the state.

Choosing the right candidates for the elections and party posts is very important.

What kind of future do you see for the Congress in the country?

The Congress has a very bright future. It has a big base and is present all over the country.

Considering the way this government is working, the Congress has a good future with Rahul Gandhi leading the party.

Why doesn't your party hold organisational elections, so that you can develop a clear-cut, popular, leadership?

We have had elections in the Youth Congress and the NSUI, our students's wing.

When the party decides, we will have party elections too.

In the states where you are in power, there is internal strife in the party. Your party doesn't need an Opposition anywhere as you are your own enemy. What do you have to say?

(Laughs.) I agree with you. There is a big communication gap between the Congress leaders and party workers.

The leadership in Delhi should call party leaders and workers for discussions.

We should have discussions at the block level, district level, state level and central level.

We have to ask party workers what their problems are and solve them.

We are ruling in a few states only. We cannot spend too much time in the Opposition. We cannot take care of the workers like this.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com