No sympathy for Ashwani on home turf

Law Minister Ashwani Kumar may be battling to save his job following the controversy over the alleged vetting of the CBI report on coalgate scam, but he can expect little sympathy from his home turf where his adversaries–especially those within Congress–far outweigh his supporters.

Kumar was never a mass leader in Punjab, which explains why the support back home is directed towards the beleaguered party he represents rather than himself.

Congressmen point out that Kumar’s political ascent is largely due to his proximity with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is also from Punjab, rather than his personal clout.

Though his father Prabhodh Chandra, a revered freedom fighter, rose to become an MP and also Speaker in the Punjab Assembly, Kumar never enjoyed the same mass support. It was Chandra’s long association with Singh’s family that pushed Kumar up the political ladder.