Gwalior, Aug 25 (PTI) Factionalism in Madhya Pradesh Congress ended after the exit of Jyotiraditya Scindia, but his joining the BJP led to the creation of three factions- 'Shivraj', 'Maharaj', and 'Naraz' in that party, former state minister Jaivardhan Singh said on Wednesday.

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Scindia, who joined the BJP last year, was recently inducted into the Union cabinet as Civil Aviation Minister.

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“There was groupism in the Congress till Scindia was there. Now it has ended. But Scindia's entry in the BJP has led to the creation of three groups- 'Shivraj BJP', 'Maharaj BJP' and 'Naraz BJP'. Congress is now free of this disease of groupism in Madhya Pradesh,” Jaivardhan Singh, son of Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh, told reporters here.

He was apparently referring to BJP leaders loyal to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and those loyal to Scindia, whom his supporters address as "Maharaj" because of his royal background. The 'Naraz' dig apparently meant those leaders of BJP who are not happy with Scindia joining the saffron party.

Scindia's exit, followed by several MLAs, led to the collapse of the then Congress government led by Kamal Nath.

Jaivardhan Singh reached Gwalior to visit various areas in the Gwalior and Chambal divisions which were hit by floods triggered by heavy rains earlier this month.

He also criticised BJP leaders whose photos were printed on the bags meant for the distribution of free ration.

"When people of the region were facing hardships due to floods, members of the ruling party were celebrating 'anna utsav' even though this scheme was originally launched by the Congress-led UPA government," he said.

“One day these BJP leaders will get their photos printed on food grains as well,” Jaivardhan Singh quipped.

When asked about communal tension in the Malwa region, the Raghogarh MLA said the government should take action impartially.

“There are many problems in Madhya Pradesh other than this (communal strife) such as unemployment, lack of health infrastructure to deal with COVID-19, inflation etc. The pace of vaccination needs to be expedited. The government should focus on these issues and resolve them," he said.

Replying to a query on some BJP leaders terming his father Digvijaya Singh “Talibani,” he said the way BJP leaders including Vishvash Sarang, a minister, and MLA Rameshwar Sharma are giving unnecessary statements, it reduces their seriousness.

He said conducting a caste-based Census is necessary and the government should think about it.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)