Shukla: Back to roots

Raipur, Aug. 6: Vidya Charan Shukla is knocking at the doors of 10 Janpath once again.

The septuagenarian, who has been in virtually every political party ranging from the Janata Dal and the Samajwadi Janata Party to the Nationalist Congress Party, is currently with the BJP, where he has been marginalised.

As a result, “Vidya bhaiyya”, as he is popularly known, is trying to get back to the Congress, which he has quit four times before. The veteran, whose political career dates back to 1957, is, therefore, camping in Delhi to meet party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Shukla has called on influential Congress leaders such as Motilal Vora, Ahmad Patel and Salman Khursheed. Sources close to him say he is keen on a return since the Chhattisgarh Congress is effectively leaderless after his arch-rival Ajit Jogi’s exit. The former chief minister, who was seriously injured in a car accident before the Lok Sabha elections, is currently in London battling multiple injuries and paralysis.

Chhattisgarh Congress president Vora has little or no time for the state as he is doubling as AICC treasurer — he seldom visits Raipur, choosing to spend most of his time in Delhi.

BJP chief minister Raman Singh has made it clear that Shukla is redundant. The veteran leader had even toyed with the idea of joining the NCP but its president Sharad Pawar reportedly advised him not to.

It is not clear how Sonia will respond to Shukla’s overtures. The former Union minister and Madhya Pradesh chief minister, who became infamous as the information and broadcasting minister during Emergency, has had an uneasy relationship with the Nehru-Gandhi family since.

Shukla fell out with Indira Gandhi in 1977 soon after she was voted out of office. Rajiv Gandhi rehabilitated him, but the septuagenarian joined hands with V.P. Singh to form the Jan Morcha when the Bofors scam cast a shadow over the government.

The ace politician, who joined the SJP when Chandra Shekhar became Prime Minister and rejoined the Congress when P.V. Narasimha Rao succeeded him, left the party again after being denied the chief ministership of Chhattisgarh when it was carved out of Madhya Pradesh in November 2000.