Is Digvijaya Singh the 'Real' Chief Minister of MP Congress?

More than 15 years have passed since Digvijay Singh's Congress government fell in Madhya Pradesh, yet Digvijay Singh continues to rule Madhya Pradesh Congress to this day. Nominally, Digvijay Singh did not appear very active in campaigning during the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections. Jyotiraditya Scindia and Kamal Nath played pivotal roles throughout the campaign, yet you will be surprised to learn that out of 230 tickets in Madhya Pradesh, 150 were given to Digvijay Singh's loyalists. Some were allotted directly from Digvijay's quota, while others were secured through Kamal Nath's quota. Scindia's supporters received tickets for the remaining seats.

Why Digvijay Holds an Old Feud with the Scindia Family

Digvijay extended his full support to Kamal Nath because he wanted to stop Jyotiraditya Scindia at all costs. The reason behind this is the long-standing feud between Scindia and Digvijay. Its roots lie buried in the nineties. Back then—much like in the previous decade—the Congress had been wiped out in Madhya Pradesh; Madhavrao Scindia worked to unite the party and stage a comeback, yet Digvijay Singh was made the Chief Minister. Meanwhile, Scindia was told to wait for a phone call and be ready to take the oath. Scindia was waiting in Delhi with his helicopter ready. But Arjun Singh had raised an objection to Madhavrao's name. Consequently, at the last minute, Digvijay Singh was crowned instead. 

Following this, Madhavrao Scindia formed his own separate party. Right here, a wall was erected between the Scindia family and Digvijay. But that was not all. In fact, Digvijay Singh's princely state of Raghogarh fell under the jurisdiction of Gwalior, and the princely state of Gwalior, as everyone knows, belonged to the Scindia dynasty. Digvijay's father, Balbhadra Singh, used to address Madhavrao's father, Jiwajirao Scindia, as his annadata (provider/patron). Digvijay's father himself was elected an MLA from the Hindu Mahasabha. But his son Digvijay chose to tread an entirely different path.

As Digvijay came of age, despite his father Balbhadra Singh being a stalwart leader of the Hindu Mahasabha, he joined the Congress party out of a desire for power—and ever more power. Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia wanted Digvijay to join the Jana Sangh, but Digvijay was no longer willing to live under the shadow of the Scindia family. Thus, despite his father, Balbhadra Singh, the king of Raghogarh, being a loyalist of the Scindia family, he joined the Congress against Rajmata's wishes. By a twist of fate, Madhavrao had a falling out with his own mother, joined the Congress as well, and became a close friend of Rajiv Gandhi.

Kamal Nath Became M.P. Chief Minister with Digvijay's Blessings

Thus, it was due to Digvijay's patronage that Kamal Nath became the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, even though Jyotiraditya Scindia was in no way behind Kamal Nath in the race. Through his political maneuvering, Digvijay Singh ensured that Jyotiraditya was not even made the Deputy Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, unlike Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan. After all, Digvijay Singh has been a close confidant across 3 generations of the Gandhi dynasty—Indira, Rajiv, Sonia, and Rahul Gandhi. Digvijay Singh himself taught Rahul Gandhi the ABCs of politics, which is why Rahul Gandhi does not take Diggi Raja's words lightly either.

While staying away from election campaigning and holding no formal post, the invisible reins of Madhya Pradesh remain in Digvijay's hands, with Kamal Nath presented merely as a mask. This was proven recently when a meeting of Madhya Pradesh's newly appointed cabinet took place at the Congress headquarters, and Digvijay was seen sitting right next to Kamal Nath, issuing directives to the cabinet!! However, Jyotiraditya Scindia was nowhere to be seen here...

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