New Delhi: A day after his resignation from the BJP, senior Chhattisgarh tribal leader Nand Kumar Sai joined the Congress on Monday in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
A five-time MP and former state president of the BJP, Sai was the party’s most prominent tribal face in the state. His departure is touted to be a major setback for the BJP, which lost its entire electoral base in tribal-dominated seats in the 2018 assembly elections. The state goes to the polls later this year.
The 77-year-old leader, who has been instrumental in shaping tribal politics in Chhattisgarh since the early days, attacked the current BJP leadership for “cornering veteran leaders” in the party to promote “baseless leaders”.
After joining the Congress, Sai told media persons, “The Bhupesh Baghel government is working on sanatan dharma culture by making Ram Van Gaman Path (a tourist circuit centred on places Ram, Sita and Lakshman are believed to have visited while in exile), and honouring gau mata. BJP under present leadership is different from [that of] Atal ji (Atal Bihari Vajpayee), Advani ji (L.K. Advani)”.
Speaking to ThePrint, Sai expressed his disappointment about the current BJP, which he said “has changed”.
“I started my journey from the Jana Sangh days. I was an admirer of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Pramod Mahajan, Sushma Swaraj, who were pillars of the party. Today, the BJP has the government at the Centre, but it has changed,” he said.
Sai alleged that senior leaders in the BJP were humiliated and cornered consistently. “But nobody is ready to listen to their agony. These are leaders who have worked for the party’s growth all these years,” he said without naming anyone.
About his journey, Sai said, “Throughout my political journey, I discharged all my duties with humility and devotion, but for the last few years, my dignity was hurt by false allegations and campaigns.
“My state leaders plotted and conspired against me. I was not even invited to important meetings. I thought this is the right time to leave.”
Sai claimed he was “not seeking any post”. “They could have sought and taken my feedback to strengthen the party position in the tribal belt. But a few leaders are running the party, there is no place for senior leaders like me. They removed Vishnu Deo Sai as the state president on World Tribal Day,” Sai told ThePrint.
Vishnu Deo Sai, a tribal face, was removed on 9 August 2022. Arun Sao, who belongs to the OBC community, was picked over him in what was seen as an effort to dent CM Bhupesh Baghel’s OBC vote-bank.
In his resignation letter Sunday, Nand Kumar Sai mentioned that he was “hurt by some party leaders”, who are allegedly trying to tarnish his image.
Meanwhile, the ruling Congress was quick to jump on the opportunity and welcome Sai into the party.
Soon after the resignation, it is learnt, CM Baghel spoke with Chhattisgarh Congress in-charge Kumari Selja and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Sunday night, and got confirmation to reach out to the veteran tribal leader to join the party.
In its attempt to damage-control, the BJP, party sources said, sent Vishnu Deo Sai and former party president and party general secretary Pawan Sai to Nand Kumar Sai’s residence Monday, but failed to land a meeting as he is said to be camping at an undisclosed destination.
Speaking to ThePrint, a former BJP MP who did not wish to be named said, “He had been giving signals of his resentment for many months. He was removed from the BJP’s core group first. A few months ago, Sai organised a dharna on the issue of reservation, but most of the leaders avoided attending it. He was also miffed that the state BJP leaders did not invite him to a meeting held in March with Amit Shah.”
But, according to Ramsevak Paikra, another tribal leader and former BJP president, Sai had got many opportunities in the party.
“From being elected as five-time MP to becoming the first leader of the opposition in the party, he got many opportunities. His only grievance was that he was denied the chief minister’s post while he was the party president in 2003,” he added. “But it’s not essential that everybody become CM. Congress is not going to give him the CM post anyway.”
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A dent to BJP’s tribal-outreach plan
Nand Kumar Sai is among the BJP leaders who worked extensively for the party in the tribal belt, apart from former Bastar MP Baliram Kashyap and Nanki Ram Kunwar.
Sai first became an MLA in 1977 and shot to popularity after he undertook a 1,000-km yatra for prohibition the same year.
During this yatra, a few tribals commented that drinking to them was like taking salt in food. To prove his point, Sai stopped taking salt in his food.
Sai won the 1989, 1996 and 2004 Lok Sabha polls from Raigarh. He was the BJP president of undivided Madhya Pradesh from 1997-2000. After Chhattisgarh was formed in 2000, he was made the leader of opposition in the state.
His disenchantment with the party is said to have begun in the 2003 assembly elections, when he contested against Ajit Jogi, the Congress chief minister at the time, in Marwahi. Sai had advised the then leadership to field him from two seats, including a safe seat. But the party did not concede. Sai lost to Jogi in the elections.
He was made the BJP president in Chhattisgarh before the 2003 assembly election. After the party’s victory, the BJP picked Raman Singh as chief minister over Sai.
Speaking to ThePrint about the impact his departure will have on the party, the former BJP MP quoted earlier said, “It is a big setback for the party that is grappling with low morale and infighting in the state and is trying to win back tribal sympathy and confidence.”
The leader added that the BJP had removed Vishnu Deo Sai as state BJP president and picked Arun Sao for the post to dent chief minister Bhupesh Baghel OBC vote-bank.
“But removing Vishnu Deo Sai on World Tribal Day and the resignation of Nand Kumar Sai will consolidate the Congress’ narrative of BJP ignoring the tribal leaders, and it can increase alienation of the community,” the leader told ThePrint
In the 2008 assembly election, the BJP won 19 of the 29 tribal-reserved seats. In 2013, it won 11 seats, while the Congress got 18. In the 2018 assembly elections, the BJP seats further reduced to 4, while the Congress won 24 seats in tribal belts.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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