New Delhi, May 11: Arjun Singh today pledged “unflinching loyalty” to the Gandhi family, trying to douse the fire sparked by his recent rebellious comments. But cries for his head continued in the Congress.

Many Union ministers, Congress Working Committee members and regional czars pressured the high command to discipline the Union human resource development (HRD) minister for questioning intra-party democracy in public.

However, some of the lower- and middle-rung party officials, who see merit in Arjun’s criticism, are eagerly watching how Sonia Gandhi deals with the issue.

A day after being snubbed by Sonia, who looked through him at a convocation ceremony, Arjun today tried to play the controversies down, saying they were “needless and irrelevant”.

In a media statement, he cited his “unflinching loyalty” through five decades to the Nehru-Gandhis.

“I shall do everything to maintain the loyalty and commitment to the remaining members of the family till I live,” he said. “This (the recent controversy) is a closed chapter as far as I am concerned.”

Congress sources, however, said the chapter would not be so easily closed. First, pressure is mounting on Sonia to punish Arjun. Second, the HRD minister’s autobiography, A Grain of Sand in the Hourglass of Time, now receiving the final touches, could kick up more storms.

Disciplining Arjun, however, is not an easy task. Any drastic action could turn him into another Kamlapati Tripathi who, after being sidelined by Rajiv Gandhi, took to writing long and inconvenient missives. It was a strategy Arjun had adopted during the era of P.V. Narasimha Rao.

Just ignoring the HRD minister is also not a wise option. It could lend oxygen to the accusation of “coterie” politics, a charge always bubbling beneath the surface ever since Sonia took over as party president in March 1998.

In the 2000 party polls, Jitendra Prasada had forced a contest against Sonia, alleging lack of internal democracy. Prasada, ironically, had pinned the blame for the party’s “narrow decision-making process” on Arjun and Natwar Singh. Natwar, another famed Nehru-Gandhi loyalist, has long fallen from grace.

The recent controversy began with an interview Arjun gave for Mohe Kahan Vishram (No Rest for Me), a collection of writings on him. There he alleged that the party nowadays took important decisions without consulting senior leaders.

The day after these comments became public, Arjun shot his mouth off again. He said the party now rewarded not genuine loyalty but the pretence of it. He praised Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi for their open-mindedness, saying they had tolerated his refusal to endorse the Emergency, but spoke not a word about Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia.

Union parliamentary affairs minister Vayalar Ravi today described Arjun’s allegations as “colourful lies” while another cabinet colleague, V. Narayanswamy, said they were “unacceptable and improper”.

Narayanswamy said: “Arjun Singh is not only a central minister but also a senior member of the Congress Working Committee. He had every opportunity to speak out (within the party).”

Former Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Subhash Yadav said: “General elections are round the corner and polls are on in Karnataka. It was not proper for a seasoned leader like Arjun Singh to make comments about the party and its leaders. It seems he has some other intentions.”

Party veteran R.K. Dhawan said he was “mystified” by Arjun’s claim that he had never supported the Emergency.

“I never saw him showing apprehension towards the Emergency to Indira Gandhi,” Dhawan said. “I’m mystified.”

No one in the party, of course, doubts Arjun’s loyalty towards Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. They all agree that Arjun’s target are the leaders who have replaced him in the party’s core decision-making group, leaving him feeling left out and let down.

Some senior Congress leaders, who were once close to Arjun, put his outbursts down to age and domestic problems.