Atal protégés lock horns in Rajnandgaon

Soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power after toppling the Congress-led Ajit Jogi government in December 2003, Karuna Shukla received a call from a senior leader to accompany a delegation to New Delhi to meet the then prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Besides being a firebrand leader of the party, former legislator and BJP Mahila Morcha national president, Karuna Shukla had another identity. She was the niece of Vajpayee. The delegation led by Chief Minister Raman Singh was on a key mission — to request the prime minister to remove the then governor, Dinesh Nandan Sahay, for allegedly helping Jogi.

The mission was successful. Thereafter, Singh accompanied Shukla on most occasions when he went to New Delhi. She became a member of his inner circle and also the family. Tying “rakhi” on Singh’s wrist prominently figured in the media every year.

The “rakhi-bahen” has now raised a revolt against the “brother”. After quitting the BJP in 2014, Shukla, 68, has been missing no opportunity to attack Singh. Their relation hurtled on yet another downhill journey when she decided to contest the assembly polls on the Congress ticket against Singh from Rajnandgaon, making it the focal battle of the 2018 election.

The fight in Rajnandgaon is not confined only to the election. The gulf between Shukla and Singh widened for various reasons over the time. In 2006, Shukla was keen to go to the Rajya Sabha but at the eleventh hour, the name of prominent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Shreegopal Vyas came up, denying Shukla an entry to the Upper House.

In 2009, Shukla wanted to contest the Lok Sabha polls from Champa-Janjgir. But the BJP pitted her against Congress stalwart Charandas Mahant from Korba. Those close to Shukla claimed Singh was the brain behind the move, aimed at cutting her political clout.

Shukla suspected an imminent defeat in Korba as after delimitation, many villages where the Congress had a stronghold came under this Lok Sabha constituency. Shukla lost the election, widening the rift with Singh. Her second attempt to enter the Rajya Sabha in 2012 also went in vain.

Married in a family of doctors, Shukla started her political career in Chhattisgarh’s Balodabazar area where her inlaws had settled. She was elected as a legislator from the Balodabazar assembly constituency in undivided Madhya Pradesh. But now, she is shifting 200 km to Rajnandgaon in an overt mission to take on Singh in the electoral battle.

Of the 90 assembly constituencies, Rajnandgaon would now be a keenly watched with the fight becoming more personal than political. The constituency, which goes to the polls on November 12 in the first phase, has been the home turf of Singh and elected him twice to the assembly. In the last state election, he had won by a margin of 36,000 votes.

Singh too had a close association with Vajpayee. He was handpicked by Vajpayee to become chief minister of Chhattisgarh. Earlier, Singh had quit from Vajpayee’s cabinet on his call to work for the organisation in then newlyformed state; he is considered as “shishya” of Vajpayee.

But, Shukla has accused Singh and the BJP of using Vajpayee’s name only for political gains. “Unhe ab Atalji ki yaad aa rahi hai (he is now remembering Atalji),” she fumed.

But, Singh played down her comment. “The BJP has dedicated the 2018 polls to Atalji and this shows our respect for him,” the chief minister said.

Shukla, niece of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is contesting against Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh from Rajnandgaon