Kamal Nath news: Amid speculation that he could cross over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath arrived in the national capital today (February 17) and said if there would be any such thing, he would inform the media first.
In his brief interaction with reporters, he asked them not to get excited. Asked if he is joining the BJP, Nath said, "If there would be any such thing, I would inform you first." When a reporter asked if he was not denying a possible switch, Nath said, "It is not about denying, you are saying this, you people are getting excited. I am not getting excited, this side or that side, but if there would be any such thing, I would inform you first."
Over the past few days, Nath had been on a tour of his bastion Chhindwara, from where he had been an MP for nine terms. His son Nakul Nath won the seat in the 2019 polls, even as the BJP swept the remaining 28 seats in the state.
Digvijaya Singh on speculations on Kamal Nath joining BJP ahead of LS polls
Asked about the speculation that Nath could cross over to the BJP, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said in Jabalpur earlier in the day, "I spoke to Kamal Nath at 10.30 pm yesterday (February 16), he is in Chhindwara."
"A person who started his political journey and stood with the Nehru-Gandhi family when Indira Gandhi was sent to jail by the Janata Party, do you think such a person will ever leave Congress and the Gandhi family?" Singh said.
Kamal Nath is said to be disgruntled over not getting a Rajya Sabha berth and also Rahul Gandhi being opposed to him since the party lost the assembly polls late last year. Nath was replaced as the party's Madhya Pradesh unit chief following its rout in the assembly polls, in which the BJP retained power winning 163 seats in the 230-member House. The Congress managed to win just 66 seats.
MP Congress President Jitu Patwari on Kamal NathOn Former MP CM and Congress leader Kamal Nath, Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari said, "He has always stood with the ideology of Congress. Indira Gandhi used to consider him as her third son. For the past 7 years, he has been working as MP Congress chief, all the party workers have worked hard to make him the CM. Kamal Nath is not like Scindia. Kamal Nath is a Congress leader by ideology. He will never change his party for positions...even such a thought that he will leave, is wrong"
Jitu Patwari added, " For the first time when Kamal Nath fought elections, then Indira Gandhi said that Kamal Nath is her third son...in the 45 years of political journey of Kamal Nath, in both our good times and bad times, he has been working with the party for the last 7 years as Madhya Pradesh Congress chief. I still remember when Scindia toppled the Congress govt in MP, all the Congress workers stood with Kamal Nath's leadership and ideology...the news that's speculating is baseless...can you imagine Indira Gandhi's third son leaving Congress? Can't think about something like that even in dreams...".
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