Kamal Nath not leaving Congress, says party general secretary amid buzz on BJP switch

Amid speculations that former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath joining the BJP, the Congress on Sunday claimed that he is not joining the BJP. He has told them so when asked about it, said party general secretary Jitendra Singh.

Responding to the buzz, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari told news agency ANI, “The rumours that Kamal Nath is joining the BJP is an example of how media can be misused. This was a conspiracy hatched against Nath. I spoke to him and he said that all these are just rumours, and he is a Congressman and will continue to remain one...he will continue to have Congress ideology till his last breath. These are his own thoughts.”

Meanwhile, former Madhya Pradesh minister and Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma said, “I met Kamal Nath today and had a discussion with him. He said that his entire focus is on how to distribute tickets for the 29 Lok Sabha seats in the state and what will be the caste equation on each seat. He also said that he had no thoughts of leaving the party, nor has he discussed it with anyone.”

Earlier, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh asserted that Nath will not leave the Congress and won’t yield to the “pressure” of central agencies like ED, I-T or CBI. Amid speculations of Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath reportedly mulling to sever ties with the Congress and join the BJP camp, Singh expressed confidence that Nath won’t leave the grand-old party as he started his political innings with the party and has deep ties with Nehru-Gandhi family. He said he and other party leaders are in constant touch with Nath and noted that the former MP chief minister was always regarded as the “third son” of former PM Indira Gandhi.