Kamal Nath, a Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, has not resigned from the party yet. However, Nath is “unhappy with what is happening” in the party and feels that it isn’t the same organisation that he had joined over four decades ago, sources told NDTV on Saturday. The comments came amid speculation about the former Madhya Pradesh Congress chief ditching the Congress and switching to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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According to the report, Kamal Nath conveyed his “unhappiness to the Congress leadership”. “He feels that Rahul Gandhi is busy with the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and the party is now being run by the likes of senior leaders Jairam Ramesh, KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala,” sources told NDTV.
Kamal Nath reached Delhi on Saturday, reportedly to meet the BJP leadership there. Sources told NDTV that Kamal Nath has not met Union Home Minister Amit Shah or Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “and has only heard leaders like BJP Madhya Pradesh President VD Sharma saying that he is welcome to join the BJP”.
As per the sources, Kamal Nath cited people in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara saying that they want him to “join the BJP to fast-track development”. They added, “…the senior Congress leader has said that the matter is under his consideration.” Kamal Nath has been an MP from Chhindwara for nine times.
Kamal Nath’s son Nakul Nath, who is the MP from Chhindwara, might also join the BJP. On Saturday, Nakul Nath reportedly changed his bio and removed “Congress” from it, fueling the speculations. The sources, however, claimed Kamal Nath said his son never had the party’s name in his bio to begin with.
Several reports also claimed that around 10-11 Congress leaders may also switch parties ahead of the Lok Sabha Election 2024.
As he reached Delhi on Saturday, Kamal Nath asked the media to not get excited and said he would inform if something like that happens. “Why are you all getting excited? It is not about denying. I will inform you all if there is something like that…,” he said.
Amid the buzz, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari said, “…He (Kamal Nath) has always stood with the ideology of Congress…Indira Gandhi used to consider him as her third son.”
“For the past seven 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 said.
ALSO READ: Kamal Nath out, Jitu Patwari appointed as new Madhya Pradesh Congress chief
Meanwhile, Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma, a close aide of Kamal Nath who reportedly changed his bio on social media on Saturday, said, “Three things work in politics – respect, insult and self-respect, when these are hurt a person changes his decisions…When such a top politician who has done a lot for Congress and the nation in the last 45 years, thinks of moving away from his party, then all three factors work behind it. No decision has been taken that Kamal Nath ji is going, right there is just speculation…”
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Published: 17 Feb 2024, 07:14 PM IST