Reports of former Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Kamal Nath and his son, Lok Sabha MP Nakul Nath, flying to Delhi on Saturday have led to speculation about the veteran Congress leader potentially switching sides to the BJP. However, another party veteran, Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh, downplayed the reports, stating that he had spoken to Kamal Nath on Friday night, and Nath was in Chhindwara.
“Kamal Nath is in Chhindwara…I had a conversation with Kamal Nath last night. He is in Chhindwara. The person who started his political career with the Nehru-Gandhi family and stood together when the entire Janata Party and the then central government were sending Indira Gandhi to jail. How can you expect that person (Kamal Nath) to leave Sonia Gandhi and Indira Gandhi’s families? You should not expect it,” said Singh.
AICC in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Jitendra Singh also expressed skepticism about Nath leaving the Congress, stating, “The way he (Nath) has worked in the organization since the time of Sanjay Gandhi (Son of Indira Gandhi) till now and the way he has a long relationship with the Congress, I do not think that he will leave the Congress and join any other party.”
On Friday night, Nath had a closed-door meeting with senior Congress leaders in Chhindwara. Despite ongoing speculation, Kamal Nath affirmed his allegiance to the Congress’ ideology on February 10.
“The ideology of Congress is the ideology of truth, religion, and justice. There is an equal place and respect in the ideology of Congress for all religions, castes, regions, languages, and ideas of the country. Today, when efforts are being made to weaken the opposition in the country and democracy is being attacked, only the Congress Party and its ideology will counter the dictatorship and make the country the most beautiful and strong democracy in the world,” Nath had posted on social media.
Earlier reports had suggested that Kamal Nath and his son might join hands with the BJP. Kamal Nath, who was in charge of the state unit of the Congress, failed to secure victory for the party in the recently concluded assembly polls and was removed as PCC president. Kamal Nath, however, has already declared that his son Nakul, the lone Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh, would again contest as the party candidate from Chhindwara.