New Delhi: The Congress has claimed that its veteran leader from Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath, is not joining the BJP. This is what Mr Nath has told them when asked about the matter, party general secretary Jitendra Singh told NDTV this evening. Mr Nath is in Delhi amid a buzz that he is joining the BJP, upset over his removal from the state party chief post after the Congress's crushing defeat in the recently held assembly election.
His successor Jitu Patwari seconded Mr Jitendra Singh, blaming the buzz on "misuse of media".
"This was a conspiracy against Kamal Nath. I spoke to him and he said that all these things are just rumours, and he is a Congress person and will continue to be a Congress person... he will continue to have Congress ideology till his last breath. This is his own thoughts, he said this," he said.
The Congress claim, though, sits awry with what Mr Nath's loyalists have to say. Mr Nath has enough reasons to join the BJP and "the people" want him to do so, they argue.
One of them, former Congress MLA Deepak Saxena, told news agency ANI that only Mr Nath is being blamed for the party's rout. He was also said to be the one to shoot down the Central leadership's seat share understanding with the Samajwadi Party for the state elections, thereby creating a rift within the nascent INDIA bloc.
"The Public want Kamal Nath should go to the BJP so that development works will be done in the Chhindwara," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
"The way he (Kamal Nath) has been removed from his post… there is a group of 11 senior Congress members, we all discussed and decided that if we are neglected like this then it would be better to go to BJP and get the work done. I will also go," he had added.
Earlier, sources said party leaders including Jitu Patwari, were reaching out to the MLAs to avert a mass exodus in case Mr Nath does change sides.
Sources said those under spotlight include former ministers Sajjan Singh Verma and Sukhdev Panse and MLAs Satish Singh Sikarwar, Sukhdev Panse, Sanjay Uikey, Nilesh Uikey, Sohan Valmiki, Vijay Chaure, Kamlesh Shah and Lakhan Ghangoriya.
Sources also said a section of BJP leaders had objected to Mr Nath's inclusion in the party on account of his alleged role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga had raised questions on the issue.
A section in the BJP was in favour of a plan b where Mr Nath's son Nakul Nath, the MP from Chhindwara, joined the party.
A final call was expected to be taken in the matter by theb BJP hig command, sources had said.