"82% Hindus Here": Kamal Nath On Self-Styled Godman's Hindu Nation Demand

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath has hit the headlines after he asked what is the point of making a Hindu nation, there are 82 per cent Hindus in the country.

Mr Nath made the remark while talking to the reporters at Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office in the state capital Bhopal on Tuesday.

When asked about self-styled godman Bageshwar Dham's Dhirendra Shastri used to raise demand for making a Hindu nation, Mr Nath said, “What is the point of making a Hindu nation, 82% are Hindus here. In a country where there is such a huge percentage, is it a matter of debate? What is the need to say Hindu nation, these figures state.”

Reacting to Shastri's recent program in Chhindwara, the former Chief Minister said, “He (Dhirendra Shastri praised Chhindwara a lot. The people of Chhindwara were very happy, around 7 to 8 lakh people came to the program. All three days were successful.”

Mr Nath has also said that the program of Kathavachak Pandit Pradeep Mishra is also scheduled in September.

Talking about World Tribal Day which is observed on August 9 every year, the Congress leader said, “How can we celebrate tribal day when atrocities on tribal people in Madhya Pradesh is on the top. What will we say to the world, what kind of tribal day are we celebrating? It is a matter of shame.”

Besides targeting Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Mr Nath said, “Most corrupt Chief Minister in history is Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The number of scams that have taken place in Madhya Pradesh, I think, is not a country's record but a world record.”

On the other hand, while addressing a program in the state Congress office, Mr Nath said, “These people (BJP) are doing the politics of misleading, now they are remembering the women before the elections. They think that they can buy the people, but remember that the people of MP are not for sale.”

The machine for making announcements before the elections is running at double speed. CM Chouhan has made 22,000 announcements in the last 18 years. His drama will not work now. The country runs on vision, not on television. Land from their beneath is slipping, Mr Nath said.

There is an assembly election in the state after 4 months. It is not the election of any party but it is the election for the future of the next generation, he further added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)