Shaking whatsoever is left for Congress in Madhya Pradesh, the grand old party has yet again stirred a controversy by choosing their ego and name over truth. Punishing loyalty is a thing in this party, with many victims in the past and present. The latest one being Laxman Singh, brother of one of the oldest party workers and a close aide of the Gandhi family, Digvijay Singh. Laxman Singh has been expelled from the party for six years for calling Robert Vadra, son-in-law of the Gandhi family, “immature” over his remarks on the Pahalgam terror attack. Singh allegedly made a vitriolic public denunciation of senior Congress leaders, Robert Vadra, Rahul Gandhi, and Omar Abdullah, against their statements and actions in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.
Ironically, this is far from the first time the Congress party has turned against its most loyal and distinguished members for merely speaking the truth or questioning the authority of the Nehru-Gandhi family. From Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to Sitaram Kesri, who was humiliatingly ousted to make way for Sonia Gandhi, and from PV Narasimha Rao to even the late Pranab Mukherjee, the pattern of sidelining or dishonouring loyal stalwarts has repeated itself across decades. The treatment of these towering leaders, many of whom gave their lives to the Congress and the nation, has long been a subject of public debate and historical scrutiny. In light of the current controversy, this report revisits those past episodes to examine the enduring culture of political ingratitude within the party.
What did Laxman Singh say?
The controversy broke out on April 25 at a condolence meeting in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna district for the Pahalgam terror attack victims. In an unbridled speech, Singh defied party line, allegedly issuing an indictment that shattered traditional norms of internal discipline:
On Robert Vadra: Vadra had controversially opined that the terror strike may be connected with Muslims being prevented from praying on roads. Singh criticised the comment as “irresponsible and dangerous to national security,” labelling it “childhood” that the nation could not afford any more.
About Rahul Gandhi: He cautioned the Congress leader to “think before he talks,” and said that people could punish the party in terms of votes for such juvenile comments.
About Omar Abdullah: Singh further charged the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister of being “in league with terrorists” and called upon Congress to pull out support to his government.
Such comments, especially the personal vendetta against the Gandhi family and top party allies, highly embarrassed the Congress leadership and reopened old, long-smouldering internal conflicts.
The Party Responds
On May 9, the All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) issued a formal show-cause notice to Singh. The letter, issued by member-secretary Tariq Anwar, enumerated grievances from Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Jitu Patwari and AICC general secretary Harish Chaudhary.
The notice charged Singh with inflicting “serious harm to the image and dignity of the Congress” and sought a written response within a week. Singh replied defiantly that he would welcome expulsion if the party wished. His response was not satisfactory to the DAC, and it went on to recommend his expulsion.
Punishment for speaking the truth?
On June 11, the Congress president sanctioned the recommendation of DAC and expelled Laxman Singh from a six-year primary membership of the party on the charge of “anti-party activities.” The party leadership made it clear that dissent against the Gandhis would not be accepted, even from old hands.
This move is among the highest-profile disciplinary measures by the party in recent history and is a warning to other intra-party critics.
Notably, Singh, born on January 14, 1955, in Indore, belongs to the royal family of Raghogarh. He studied at Daly College, Indore, and St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and accumulated a shining political record over several decades:
1) Chosen five times as a member of the Lok Sabha from Rajgarh.
2) Also elected as an MLA three times, including a recent one from Chachoura (2018).
Despite his long tenure, Singh was usually overshadowed by his older brother Digvijaya Singh, former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh and Rajya Sabha member. There was growing internal discontent, particularly after the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections when his nephew Jaivardhan Singh (son of Digvijaya) was brought into the cabinet, leaving him out. Though he hardly ever expressed his discontent in public, his occasional social media tweets betrayed increasing isolation.
History of Punishing the Loyal
The Congress party’s history is riddled with episodes where its most loyal and accomplished leaders have faced betrayal, marginalisation, and even humiliation, not only in life but also in death. The expulsion of Laxman Singh, however controversial it may be, barely scratches the surface of the deeper malaise within the party’s treatment of its loyalists. For decades, the Congress has made a habit of turning against its most valuable assets, be it Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, PV Narasimha Rao, Sitaram Kesri, Ghulam Nabi Azad, or even Shashi Tharoor.
The Iron Man who unified India but was shunned in death
It was December 15, 1950, when the nation was plunged into grief upon the death of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the man who unified over 500 princely states into the Indian Union. Though his health had been deteriorating, he had gone to recuperate at Birla House in Mumbai on December 12, only to succumb to a massive heart attack three days later.
What followed was shocking and deeply telling of internal party politics. As recounted by K.M. Munshi in Pilgrimage to Freedom, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru allegedly issued a directive to his ministers and bureaucrats instructing them not to attend Sardar Patel’s funeral.
“When Sardar died in Bombay, Jawaharlal issued a direction to the ministers and the secretaries not to go to Bombay to attend the funeral… Jawaharlal also requested Dr. Rajendra Prasad not to go to Bombay; it was a strange request to which Rajendra Prasad did not accede… I was of course there.”
This account is corroborated by Tara Sinha, granddaughter of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, in Rajendra Babu: Patraon Ke Aaine Mein. Dr. Prasad, despite Nehru’s objection, paid his respects, joining dignitaries like Rajaji and Govind Ballabh Pant, while the party leadership attempted to downplay the event of one of its tallest leaders’ passing.
Sitaram Kesri: Locked out and humiliated
Fast forward to March 1998, another disgraceful chapter unfolded in the Congress’s handling of its internal transitions. Sitaram Kesri, who had served as Congress treasurer for nearly two decades and was party president from 1996 to 1998, found himself unceremoniously removed in what can only be described as a political coup.
As pressure mounted to install Sonia Gandhi, widow of Rajiv Gandhi, as Congress chief, Kesri was reportedly locked inside the bathroom at the Congress headquarters by party workers. He was held there until Sonia Gandhi formally assumed office.
“When Kesri stepped out of the room, his name board was missing, already replaced by a computer printout that said: ‘Congress President Sonia Gandhi’… The Special Protection Group moved into the party headquarters… leaders were told to leave their cars and walk in.”
(From 24 Akbar Road by Rasheed Kidwai)
Kesari, then 82, was later escorted out in humiliation. He died in 2000, largely forgotten by the party he had served for decades.
PV Narasimha Rao: The reformer denied respect
Perhaps the most striking case of posthumous dishonour was meted out to PV Narasimha Rao, the man who ushered in India’s economic liberalisation and served as Prime Minister from 1991 to 1996. A lifelong Congressman and known Gandhi family loyalist, Rao was marginalised during and after his tenure.
When he passed away on December 24, 2004, his mortal remains were reportedly denied entry into the Congress headquarters at 24 Akbar Road. Traditionally, bodies of past Congress presidents are brought to the HQ for final tributes but not in Rao’s case.
“The funeral procession slowed. The entrance gate to the compound looked firmly shut… Only one person could give that order. She did not give it.”
(Half-Lion: How PV Narasimha Rao Transformed India by Vinay Sitapati)
Despite his monumental contributions to modern India, Rao was treated as a political outcast, a fate shockingly common for those in the party who rise without the direct sanction of the Gandhi family.
Ghulam Nabi Azad and Shashi Tharoor
Even in recent years, this culture of punishing the loyal has not abated. Veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who served Congress for nearly five decades and held positions ranging from Chief Minister to Union Minister, was publicly criticised and eventually forced out after expressing dissent. His dedication counted for little in a party where loyalty to the Gandhi family often trumps everything else.
Shashi Tharoor, despite being one of the most articulate and internationally respected faces of the Congress, faced attacks from the party’s own IT cell for being part of the government’s outreach post Operation Sindoor. His crime? Being the public face of an outreach mission that didn’t sit well with sections of the Congress leadership.
The forgotten and the erased
Public memory fades fast, especially in a country where social media and instant outrage culture dominate. Many forget how leaders like Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Feroze Gandhi, both once connected to Congress, were treated with indifference or worse by the party elite.
This long and painful history of sidelining, insulting, and at times, outright erasing the legacies of its own loyalists points to a larger problem within the Congress ecosystem, one that prioritises sycophancy over merit, dynasty over dedication, and legacy over loyalty.
For a party that claims to be the custodian of India’s democratic values, its internal treatment of stalwarts tells a very different story.
Comments