This story is from June 6, 2020

Madhavrao Scindia aide quits BJP, returns to Congress after a decade

Madhavrao Scindia aide quits BJP, returns to Congress after a decade
BJP Leader and former minister Balendu Shukla with MP Congress president Kamal Nath in Bhopal on Friday
BHOPAL: A close aide and childhood friend of Madhavrao Scindia, Balendu Shukla, quit BJP and rejoined Congress on Friday. Shukla, 74, had left Congress following alleged differences with Jyotiraditya Scindia. Now that Jyotiraditya is in BJP, Shukla is back in Congress.
“Why Shukla resigned is a personal issue between him and Scindia. I will not comment on this matter,” said BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.
A minister in the cabinets of Arjun Singh, Motilal Vohra and Digvijaya Singh, Shukla took primary membership of Congress at the residence of PCC chief Kamal Nath on Friday.

Asked why he quit BJP, the veteran leader said he can’t bear “not being productive”. “The last few days, I saw that I have no utility in BJP. Workers of BJP gave me a lot of love and respect but as a political person, I wanted to be productive politically. They could not understand that.”
“Shivraj Singh Chouhan brought me to BJP, made me chairperson of a board for six years and gave me ministerial rank. But since I was not very productive there, I did not want to stay on,” said Shukla.
Former minister Lakhan Singh Yadav, however, openly claimed that Shukla is back because he has differences with newly inducted BJP leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. “He left Congress because Jyotiraditya Scindia used to humiliate him. Only and only because of Scindia did Balendu Shukla keep changing posts. He is essentially a Congressman and has returned to the party,” Singh, MLA from Bhitarwar seat, alleged.

Bhitarwar constituency was created in 2003 with parts of erstwhile Gird segment that Shukla represented.
Shukla said Congress had contacted him and discussed his return to the party fold. “Congress is my old home. I spent 30 years in the party. After I spoke to leaders Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh, I decided to return,” he said.
Asked about Jyotiraditya, he said: “Bade Maharaj Madhavrao Scindia was my friend.”
BJP said it isn’t affected by Shukla’s resignation. “BJP is a cadre-based organisation with a huge base of workers. There are several people who join and quit BJP. This is not a matter of concern for us. We will, however, review why Shukla quit the party to join Congress,” said BJP state president VD Sharma.
Shukla worked in a bank until Madhavrao Scindia brought him into Congress in 1980. He contested from Gird assembly constituency and became the Brahmin face of Congress in the Gwalior-Chambal region. With Madhavrao Scindia as Union minister, Shukla exercised immense power, not only in Gwalior-Chambal region.
But everything changed with the sudden death of Madhavrao Scindia, then MP from Guna-Shivpuri Lok Sabha seat. Jyotiraditya Scindia contested the bypolls from the seat and was elected with a record margin of votes. However, differences with Jyotiraditya Scindia apparently got so deep that Shukla left Jai Vilas Palace. In 2003, he contested the assembly elections from Gwalior against BJP’s Narendra Singh Tomar (now Union minister) and lost.
In 2008, he was denied a ticket by Congress and quit. He contested on a BSP ticket and lost again after which he switched to BJP. Over a decade later, he is back in Congress.
Five days ago, former BJP MP Premchand Guddu joined Congress after speaking out against Scindia's joining BJP with 22 rebel leaders. Guddu is likely to get a ticket from Sanwer assembly seat against Scindia’s staunch supporter Tulsiram Silawat in the upcoming bypoll, sources said. Shukla may contest from Gwalior, which was won by Pradhumn Singh Tomar, who broke away with Scindia and joined BJP.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA