Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday night approved the names of 10 party candidates, including Ajay Maken, Randeep Surjewala and Mukul Wasnik, for the Upper House elections.
The actress turned politician soon after the candidates were announced nagma Morarji and the party’s national spokesperson Pawan Khera expressed their disappointment over the non-nomination.
The BJP also used it to take a dig at the Congress leadership, saying that Gandhi cannot think beyond his own circle.
Nagma questioned the candidature of minority cell chief Imran Pratapgarhi, while Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam said the suppression of talent was a “suicidal move” for the party.
Sanyam Lodha, advisor to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, said the Congress should reconsider its decision to field candidates for Rajya Sabha from outside the state.
In front of Imam’s brother. https://t.co/8SrqA2FH4c
— nagma (@nagma_morarji) 1653846499000
“Maybe there is some work left in my tapasya (maybe my tapasya has reduced),” Khera tweeted.
Responding to this, Nagma said, ‘My 18 years of penance in front of Imran Bhai (Imran Pratapgadhi, who has been fielded from Maharashtra) got cut short.
“Sonia ji our Congress President personally committed to include me in Rajya Sabha in 2003/04 when I joined Congress party at his behest, then we were not in power.
She tweeted, “It’s been 18 years since (but) he didn’t get a chance, Mr Imran has been appointed to the Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra. I ask if I am less qualified.”
However, later both Khera and Nagma congratulated the candidates.
Seeking to do some damage control, Khera also posted a 1.41-minute video on Twitter, saying, “Being blinded by personal ambition is a luxury and I can’t stand this fight. It can’t be any ambition.” It’s a bigger fight.”
He quoted a couplet from Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s poem “Madhushala” to say that one should not be afraid of burning.
He praised the Congress and thanked the people for standing by him and cited the example of Sonia Gandhi, who relinquished the top post of Prime Minister.
When asked about his candidature, Imran Pratapraghi said, “There is no opposition to my candidature and the entire party is united. The whole country comes within Maharashtra and there is no question of outsiders or insiders.”
“There is no question of opposing the decision of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and the entire party is standing together behind her decision,” he said. We will win the Rajya Sabha elections.
When asked about Nagma’s criticism, he said, “Have you seen another tweet of her congratulating all the people nominated to the Rajya Sabha. Please look at that tweet, it’s even more beautiful.”
Responding to Nagma Morarji’s tweet, Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam said that the penances of Salman Khurshid, Tariq Anwar and Ghulam Nabi Azad were over 40 years, but they too were “martyrs”.
In another tweet in Hindi, he said, “‘Daman’ of Pratibha is a ‘suicidal move’ for the party.”
Soon after the Congress announced its candidates, Lodha had tweeted, “The Congress party should explain why no Congress leader/worker from Rajasthan is nominated for the Rajya Sabha elections,” with the hashtag ‘Congress Sankalp’.
He warned top Congress leaders that the party would face a “big setback” in next year’s assembly elections if it failed to accommodate Rajasthan’s leaders in the Upper House.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya also took to Twitter to criticize the Congress leadership over the Rajya Sabha nomination and said it has created discontent.
Malviya said, “The Chintan Shivir clearly served no purpose. Soon after, the Congress saw a high-profile exit. Now it has mobilized Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh (both election ones) and Maharashtra units as locals for the RS. Nomination refused.” on Twitter.
“The Gandhi family cannot look beyond their congregation,” he said.
However, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said that every worker “accepts our leader Sonia Gandhi’s decision”.
“Congress is a democratic party and one can feel that it deserves more, but everyone accepts the decision of the high command and Imran Pratapgadhi will be chosen as the party’s Rajya Sabha candidate from Maharashtra,” he said.
Another Congress leader, Milind Deora, in a cryptic tweet said, “Optimist-pessimistic test.” He put up a picture of light signage that read “You Matter Don’t Give Up” if read vertically and “You Don’t Matter Give Up” if read horizontally.
Deora has been a contender for the Rajya Sabha seat.
Earlier, all the leaders nominated to the Rajya Sabha thanked the party leadership for reposing their faith in him.
“Grateful to Congress President, Congress leadership, lakhs of Congress members, colleagues and friends for their support and well wishes,” Chidambaram said in a tweet.
Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination in Chennai, the senior leader thanked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and other allies of the DMK-Congress alliance, including the Left.
However, the former Union minister refused to comment on voices of discontent within his party over the choice of candidates for the Rajya Sabha biennial elections to be held on June 10.
G23 dissident group leader Vivek Tankha, who questioned the Congress leadership and demanded an overhaul of the party, said, “I am sorry if I have hurt anyone because of my words or actions during this period so far. It is my endeavor to always wipe the tears and not to hurt anyone with my work.”
In another tweet, he said that in 32 years of association with Kamal Nath, he has always been grateful to him for his immense support.
Along with Nath and Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Govind Singh, the 65-year-old Supreme Court lawyer presented his nomination papers to the returning officer in Bhopal.
Ranjeet Ranjan said, “I am extremely humbled and grateful to nominate my party, Madam Sonia ji and Rahul ji, to the Rajya Sabha.”
Union Ministers Jairam Ramesh and Mansoor Ali Khan filed their nomination papers from Karnataka.
He was accompanied by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, senior Congress leader M Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress state president DK Shivakumar at the Karnataka Assembly Secretariat.
The opposition party is expected to win at least one seat given its strength in the assembly, but has also fielded another candidate, Mansoor Ali Khan.