Bhopal: The disappearance of Congress MLAs from Bhopal just before the Rajya Sabha nominations are due to be announced has so many wheels within wheels that many believe that ambidextrous political plotter Digvijaya Singh is the man spinning them all efficiently.It is now clear that there are at least 22 MLAs of the 120 supporting the Kamal Nath government who are dissatisfied for various reasons.Most of them seem dissatisfied with Digvijaya in particular, and his methods, which means that his own loyalists within Congress have cornered the cream. BJP actors like Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Narottam Mishra and Rampal Singh are now minor players only adding fuel to the fire without actually having started it. They may only end up losing some money in the game.The third angle is Jyotiraditya Scindia, who opened his cards just before Holi by flying out his six ministers and 11 MLAs to Bangalore – obviously with some BJP backing. Both he and Digvijay are locked in a fight for the second Rajya Sabha seat meant for Congress.But first, the real reason: There is a huge amount of dissatisfaction within the legislative party which now has 113 MLAs, three short of the majority mark of 116, though the assembly strength itself is now at 228.Six others — two from Bahujan Samaj Party, two from Samajwadi Party and two Independents — have been supporting the government from outside. Senior Congress leaders like Bisahu Lal Singh, a six timer from Shahdol has been warming the benches for so long that he has now lost all patience. He had been promised a ministerial berth but three junior tribal MLAs were made ministers instead.Surendra Singh Shera, a former Congress leader had asked for the ticket from Burhanpur. Thrice denied, he ultimately won on his own. He is now clear that he wants a ministerial berth, which Kamal Nath says is not possible, because he is a first timer. Shera says that he is not a Congressman but someone on whose support the government is dependent, so it does not apply to him. The same goes for suspended BSP MLA Rambai from Sagar.Also read: Challenging Pragya Thakur: I Did What Digvijay Singh Should Have, But Didn’tHardeep Singh is a third termer and Rajvardhan Dattigaon from the Scindia camp feels that “second raters” have been given cabinet berths while well educated people like him have deliberately been kept out. The Wire was able to talk to some of the MLAs who fled Bhopal and were found in ITC Gurgaon.All of them claimed that while eight or 10 of them might be in the forefront, there are at least 22 who have formed a group and who can “take any decision”.Reasons for dissatisfactionKamal Nath has put only three Scheduled Caste MLAs in his cabinet. All of them are Khatiks with no one from any other SC denomination.There are three MLAs from Scheduled Tribe communities, with no representation from the Vindhyas region. He still has five vacant berths but an inordinate number of Thakur MLAs (nine out of 27) is a bone of contention. All of them are Digvijaya loyalists with a son and nephew amongst them and all of them have important portfolios.Cabinet minister Jitu Patwari’s high profile antics and the inordinate amount of influence enjoyed by former inspector Praveen Kakkar are also issues with the rebels.At the same time, Kamal Nath has not appointed any chairman to any corporations and boards where some leaders could have been accommodated. His bureaucratic appointments so far – especially Manoj Shrivastava, Manu Shrivastava, Rajesh Rajora and Ashok Barnwalhave – also raised allegations of favouritism. His demolition drive against the so-called mafia in Indore and other places was also started at the behest of some IAS officers who it is believed have been “honey trapped”.Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath is felicitated during state level Maha Sabha convention, in Bhopal, Friday, March 6. Photo: PTIThe most crucial bone of contention of course is the post of Pradesh Congress Committee president to which Kamal Nath has held on, even after 15 months since the Madhya Pradesh elections. Jyotiraditya Scindia has time and again voiced his interest to take up the post in several ways but he does not have the gumption of a street politician and both Kamal Nath and Digvijaya know this and keep him dangling.The other serious contender could be Vivek Tankha, considered close to Nath but too much of an independent leader for anyone’s comfort. He himself has shown no interest so far but most Congressmen privately agree that he is quite suitable for the post.WheelsBut why do so many in Bhopal believe that all this drama has been stage managed by Digvijaya? After all, he was the first one to subscribe to the bogey that Narottam and Shivraj were trying to buy MLAs.His team of Jayvardhan, Priyavrat and Jitu were the ones who rescued the MLAs from Gurgaon. But why would he do it to his own government and to his own friend and ‘big brother’?Analysts believe it could be to scare off Scindia from his demand for a Rajya Sabha seat. Of the three seats, Congress can win one with 58 clear votes and BJP one with 58 clear votes. But for the third, if there is a “rebellion” within the Congress’s ranks, then Scindia is the last person to be able to manage it.Also read: Upcoming Rajya Sabha Polls to See Unusually Tight Contest Between BJP, OppositionHe neither has the required political skill nor the team for this. His immediate advisors mostly consist of closeted supporters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. His own followers now resent his parsimoniousness. So the rebels may swing any which way for the second seat out of the three. This is precisely the message which Digvijaya wants to convey.If that seat is offered to him he will make sure Congress gets two seats from Madhya Pradesh. The other could go to Deepak Saxena who vacated his assembly seat for Nath. Or it could go to a woman leader.Scindia has now shown some willingness to indulge Digvijaya in his own game by getting his team together. But even he knows that at least half a dozen from his original 23 have already dropped out. He is unwilling to switch over to the BJP as he knows he or his family have little future there.But the BJP is also counting every Rajya Sabha seat at the moment and will do anything to win two from Madhya Pradesh – so don’t be surprised if events turn differently.Digvijaya may also be after the PCC position because like Modi and Shah, the Kamal Nath-Digvijaya Singh pair wants to control everything themselves at the state level. Either that or he may grandiosely decide to withdraw his son from the cabinet to meet the rebel demand and then pitch his case for PCC president at some point. Too young for PCC at 34 some would say, but Digvijaya himself held that post at as early as 40.At any rate, Digvijaya seems to be having immense amount of fun at the moment. He virtually runs the state because every officer at every level bows to him.His team holds almost every portfolio worth holding and when the time for appointments to boards comes, his team is sure to dominate. “He was no doubt the single biggest reason for Congress’ return to power but since then he has been treating the whole thing as his personal fiefdom rather than anything to do with Congress,” says a former PCC president.So there is indeed a “rebellion”. And BJP is indeed intrigued by it. But in the end it may all be a game.