Congress leader Kamal Nath in Delhi amid strong buzz over switch to BJP

NEW DELHI: Political circles were abuzz on Saturday amid speculations that Congress veteran Kamal Nath may jump ship to BJP during his ongoing visit to the national capital.

Nath’s son Nakul Nath, who is the only Congress MP from Madhya Pradesh, has dropped Congress from his social media bio, further fuelling rumours of a potential switch by the father-son duo.

Separately, in Indore, Kamal Nath’s staunch supporter and former minister Sajjan Singh Verma also removed Congress from his social media bio.

“I have changed my social media identity following my leader Kamal Nath,” Verma told reporters in Indore. He, however, claimed Kamal Nath and Nakul Nath have not yet decided to join the BJP.

Kamal Nath, who has represented his bastion Chhindwara in Lok Sabha nine times, landed in the national capital earlier today. Asked whether he is crossing over to BJP, Nath said that he would inform the media such in case he was planning any such thing.

In his brief interaction with reporters, he asked them not to get excited.

“If there would be any such thing, I would inform you first,” the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister told the reporters.

Notably, Kamal Nath didn’t outrightly deny the rumours either.

When asked if he was not dismissing a possible switch, Nath said, “It is not about denying, you are saying this, you people are getting excited. I am not getting excited, this side or that side, but if there would be any such thing, I would inform you first.”

Meanwhile, ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh said on Friday that Congress stalwart Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath are welcome to join the saffron camp.

Kamal Nath is reportedly unhappy over not getting a Rajya Sabha berth from Madhya Pradesh and also Rahul Gandhi being opposed to him after Congress lost the assembly polls in 2023.

Nath was replaced as the party’s Madhya Pradesh unit chief following its rout in the assembly polls, in which the BJP retained power winning 163 seats in the 230-member House. The Congress managed to win just 66 seats.

His aide Verma said that a leader only turns to the other side when his “respect and honour” are hurt.

“I am not saying that Kamal Nath was disrespected in Congress these days, but it is also true that a leader turns to the other side if his respect, honour, and self-esteem are hurt. I will follow Kamal Nath’s footsteps,” Verma said.

Digvijaya plays down speculations

Earlier today, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said a person like Kamal Nath who has been with the grand old party for decades can’t ever think of quitting.

“I spoke to Kamal Nath at 10.30 pm yesterday, he is in Chhindwara … a person who started his political journey and stood with the Nehru-Gandhi family when Indira Gandhi was sent to jail by the Janata Party, do you think such a person will ever leave Congress and the Gandhi family?” Singh said.

Similarly, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari also dismissed speculations, recalling how former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi described Kamal Nath as her “third son”.

“Can you dream of the third son of Indiraji (Gandhi) joining the BJP? ” Patwari told reporters.

Kamal Nath is the last of the Congress leaders of the Indira Gandhi era.

Congress in charge of Madhya Pradesh Jitendra Singh echoed Digvijaya’s remarks, asserting that Kamal Nath will not leave Congress to join any other party.

On Friday night, Kamal Nath had a closed-door meeting with senior Congress leaders of Chhindwara. He had been camping in his constituency for the last few days.

In 2018, Congress won the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and formed a government with Kamal Nath as chief minister. However, in 2020, deputy chief minister Jyotiraditya Scindia staged a rebellion and joined hands with BJP, leading to the fall of Kamal Nath government.

Congress has seen an exodus of several senior leaders in the last few years, especially in the run up to the polls. Just in the last two months, Congress lost two big leaders in Maharashtra with the resignation of Milind Deora and former CM Ashok Chavan.

Some of the other prominent leaders who have left Congress in recent years are Kapil Sibal, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Hardik Patel, Priyanka Chaturvedi, Sunil Jhakar, Jitin Prasada, RPN Singh and Sushmita Dev.

(With inputs from agencies)

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