"We Only Know Kamal, Not Kamal Nath": Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister To NDTV

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav remained non-ciommittal about reports of Congress veteran Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath joining the party. Asked about the natter in an exclusive interview, he told NDTV, “I have considered only  kamal (Loyus, the BJP symbol) but not Kamal Nath. We have many kamals in our party and by God’s grace we manage to bloom in the mud”.

Asked what would the party do if they wished to join, he sidestepped, saying he was only concerned with the present.

There was a massive buzz earlier this year that Kamal Nath and his son were joining the BJP. Both denied and Nakul Nath was later named the Congress candidate from Chhindwara. He will face-off against the BJP’s Vivek Sahu.

Mr Nath, a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, was removed from the top post of the party after the Congress failed to win the assembly elections amid reports of considerable anti-incumbency against the BJP.

Ahead of the election a number of aides of Mr Nath, including former minister and four-time Congress MLA from Chhindwara Dipak Saxena, Chhindwara Mayor Vikram Ahake, Amarwara MLA Kamlesh Pratap Shah, have joined the BJP.  

Mr Yadav, who took charge of the state after the BJP’s huge victory in last year’s assembly election, said the Congress  robs its people of morale.

Discussing the trend of Congress leaders and workers crossing over to the BJP ahead of the general elections, he said the Congress “has broken the morale of many people. The BJP stands by what it says”.

As examples he cited the scrapping of the Article 370 of the constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir its special status, the scrapping of Triple Talaq and the building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya – all of which were long-term promises of the BJP.

“People come to the BJP because they feel inspired by our work,” he said. The Congress is a dynastic party, its leadership is “useless” but now the country is “looking at them differently”, he added.