NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
The death of Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia in a plane crash Sunday adds another chilling chapter to a curse that is seen to plague not only the Congress Party, but also Indian politics.
Scindia, 56, died on the way to addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh, when his ten-seater aircraft crashed 20 minutes after take-off from Delhi.
Only 16 months ago, in June 2000, Congress leader and former Union minister Rajesh Pilot, 55, died in a car accident in Rajasthan.
For the Congress, this is the second major loss of a senior leader known for his credibility, stature and leadership potential at a time when the party was staging a comeback in various parts of India.
Party leaders say it is a personal loss for Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who trusted Scindia implicitly and relied on his advice.
The Sunday tragedy brings to the fore a syndrome that has afflicted Indian politics of late -- the death of young leaders before their best could surface.
The spate of deaths of young Congress leaders began with the death of former prime minister Indira Gandhi's younger son Sanjay Gandhi, seen as her heir apparent in the Congress. Sanjay Gandhi was killed when a private plane that he was piloting crashed in Delhi in June 1980.
Then came the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at age 46. The elder son of Indira Gandhi, he was riding a massive popularity crest when killed by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber during an election meeting in May 1991.
PR Kumaramangalam, who left the Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party and became a minister in Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's cabinet, died in August last year at the age of 48.
"Scindia's loss is irreplaceable," said senior Congress K Natwar Singh. "It is a major setback for the party."
Scindia was extremely close to Rajiv Gandhi, and his proximity to the family remained unchanged when Rajiv's widow Sonia took on the mantle of Congress president.
His death should cause considerable anxiety in the Congress, as he was one of the few people who had knowledge of both domestic and international affairs. He was one of the more experienced administrators in the party and one of the better known public faces in a party struggling to retain its appeal among people.
Scindia never lost an election. He is remembered for defeating Vajpayee in the 1984 election from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, by a margin of more than 200,000 votes.
"He won the last election despite shifting his constituency to Guna, and that reflected upon his success as a leader of the masses," pointed out a Congress leader.
Death in the Afternoon: The Complete Coverage
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
