Saroj Razdan
Jammu: After making exit on controversial note two years back, lawyer turned activist and politician Deepika Rajawat has once again joined Congress, raising many eyebrows and questions as well. Even as her working base is in Jammu, she embraced the party fold amid presence of senior leaders in Srinagar today. Will her entry into the party leave any impact upon potentiality of Congress’ support base in Jammu….?
Sources in the party said not many senior leaders in Jammu region are happy over leadership taking her back into the party fold for more than just one reason. She embarrassed not just party but high command level leaders, Rahul Gandhi in particular when she raised controversial points during latter’s Bahart Jodo yatra when it was to culminate in J&K, said a senior leader.
Her tweets did impact the progress and potential of the Yatra at a time when it had reached crescendo, the leader said explaining how the entire PCC unit had to hurriedly make amends in terms of participation of senior leader and a highly potential candidate for the party Choduhary Lal Singh in Yatra. Despite gala arrangements made at several levels, PCC unit was forced to make changes in order to avoid any damage to popularity of yatra. Her controversial remarks also made senior leaders like Jai Ram Ramesh at national level keep distance contending Deepika was not any ‘neta’ or leader, instead a member of Congress, implying her utterances do not carry much weight.
In fact Deepika resigned from the party ahead of yatra which was in last leg, entering into J&K as Lal Singh was all set to join and welcome yatra, whom she accused as a person responsible for sabotaging Kathua rape case. Jammu based Congress leaders also look at her as creating a furore when she made another tweet during navratras using name of Hindu Goddess Maa Durga in scoffing at men indulging in rape crimes on one hand and worshipping the deity synonymous with protector.
This created a lot of furore triggering sentiments of Hindus as a result of which protests were staged against her at that point of time. Party leaders in J&K look at her ‘convenient’ and smooth entry once again on account of her connections at the highest level, besides her reported influence in keralite communist lobby which has some very powerful party leaders on board.
The big question which many ask is that at a time when Congress couldn’t win seats in Hindu belt in Jammu in two consecutive elections, will her come back impact the gains, given the background of the community having felt offended in the past…..?
