New Delhi, March 11 As Jyotiraditya Scindia joins the BJP, there are mixed reactions from the Congress; many feel that the party and Scindia both are to be blamed for the crisis.
A Congress leader, a Rajya Sabha MP who did not want to be named, said "ego, greed and inability to function" are the main reasons for Scindia leaving the party. He said Scindia has "ego and greed" which drove him to leave an ideology and join a party which he has been opposed to for a long time. At the same time, there has been "dysfunctionality" within the party that has given rise to status quo, forcing the party not to act on time, he said.
Former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said though he would not comment on Scindia personally, "the party should look within so that nobody leaves the party in future".
Congress' Rajya MP B.K. Hariparasd, who has been the party in-charge of Madhya Pradesh, said Scinida was in 2010 offered the PCC chief post, but he refused, saying he wanted to continue as a Union minister. He said Kantilal Bhuria was made the state party President after Scindia declined the post.
For elevating Scindia within the party, veterans such as Arjun Singh had been consulted. "This is sheer greed of Jyotiraditya to stay relevant in Lutyens' Delhi. The Congress leadership is unhappy as nobody expected Scindia to leave the party," said Hariparasd.
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi did not respond to reporters when asked about Scindia's exit. Later, he tweeted: "Hey@PMOIndia while you were busy destabilising an elected Congress govt, you may have missed noticing the 35% crash in global oil prices. Could you please pass on the benefit to Ind by slashing petrol prices to under Rs 60 per litre? (It) will help boost the stalled economy."
( With inputs from IANS )