Once a strong force in Farrukhabad, Cong now limps along

OF INFIGHTING IN GRAND OLD PARTY

THE Congress office in Farrukhabad town is located in a house in a narrow lane in the middle of a market. At the steps to the entrance of the house, its owner says the place has hosted the likes of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, her father-in-law Uma Shankar Dikshit, former Union Home minister Vidya Charan Shukla, and Makhan Lal Fotedar, among others.

The house belongs to the former MLA from the constituency, Vimal Prasad Tiwari, who died in 2006.

His son Adesh Tiwari is part of the UP Pradesh Congress Committee — as the co-opted member from the assembly segment, he says.

Talking about his father, Tiwari says V C Shukla was married to his grandfather’s sister; V P Singh and Fotedar were his father’s batchmates at Allahabad University. His father had won the seat in 1974, 1980 and 1989. He lost it in 1977, 1992 and 2002 — narrowly, Tiwari junior says, adding that the Congress has always had a strong presence in Farrukhabad.

But now, the UPCC secretary from 2008 to 2012 says, there is almost no presence of the party in town. He blames former Union minister Salman Khurshid and his EX-MLA wife Louise Khurshid for the present state of affairs.

On ground floor of the house is a locked room. Tiwari says it used to be the district headquarters of the party but the Khurshids’ interference has meant most local leaders have switched to other parties. The room is now perpetually bolted. "Yahan sab khatam kar diya," he says about the Khurshids.

Asked about the allegations, Salman Khurshid says he does not who Adesh Tiwari is, and what he means by his remarks that the Congress has no presence in the district. Whatever he said is the opinion of just one person in a place with a large population, Khurshid says.

The constituency will vote on Sunday, but the Congress is not contesting. Alliance partner Samajwadi Party has given the ticket to incumbent MLA Vijay Singh. If Singh wins, it will be his fourth term — two of them on SP ticket and two as an Independent. Left without a ticket, Louise Khurshid is unhappy, and she is vocal about it.

In early February, she had reportedly told local journalists that she won’t campaign for the SP. Tiwari recalls Louise telling him, "Samajwadi ke saath hai, apraadhi ke nahi" (We are with Samajwadi Party, but not a criminal).” Singh has multiple criminal cases registered against him.

Tiwari alleges that Louise and her loyalists are helping the BSP in the constituency, as she’s upset at not getting the ticket.

Khurshid says that workers of both the Congress and the SP are campaigning for the alliance candidates, and that both Louise and he are campaigning for the alliance in various constituencies of the district.

Louise won from the neighbouring Kaimganj constituency in 2002. In 2007, she lost to the BJP. In 2012, Kaimganj was reserved as a Scheduled Caste constituency, and Louise contested from Farrukhabad. She finished fifth, Tiwari points out.

Salman Khurshid lost the 2014 General Elections from Farrukhabad, finishing fourth. He had won the seat in 2009 and 1991 Lok Sabha elections.