AICC Emissary to Review Situation in MP Congress (Photo: DC File)
Bhopal: AICC general secretary Jitendra Singh is arriving here on Tuesday to ‘review the situation’ in the Madhya Pradesh unit of Congress in the wake of the high voltage drama being witnessed in the party following the rumours of veteran leader Kamal Nath switching to BJP.
Even as senior Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma on Monday reiterated that neither Mr Nath nor the latter’s son Nakul, a sitting Congress MP, is leaving the party, AICC has reportedly sought to assess the situation in the state unit of the party in case such a development takes place in future.
“Mr Singh is going to assess the extent of damage that may cause to the party in terms of exodus of leaders in the event of a veteran leader such as Mr Nath leaving the party”, a senior Congress functionary told this newspaper on Monday, unwilling to be quoted.
Sources said that Mr Singh is likely to interact with all the Congress MLAs and Congress leaders in the state individually to assess if they are loyal to Congress or a particular leader in the party.
“It is a pre-emptive move by Congress leadership to avert a possible exodus in the party in the event of veteran leaders such as Mr Nath deciding to leave Congress”, sources said.
State Congress media chief K K Mishra however said that Mr Singh’s visit to Madhya Pradesh has nothing to do with the ‘wild speculations in the media’ over Mr Nath joining BJP.
“Mr Singh is arriving here on Tuesday to attend a party meeting to chart out the plan for the proposed Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra of Mr Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh. The meeting is scheduled to be attended by all the Congress MLAs, presidents of district units of the party and state leaders”, he told this newspaper.
He however said that neither Mr Nath nor former chief minister Digvijay Singh is going to attend the meeting.
Mr Verma, meanwhile, reiterated that Mr Nath has no plan to quit Congress and join BJP.
“Mr Nath told me that he has no plan to snap decades old ties with Congress. He also asserted that his son Nakul is going to seek re-election from Chhindwara as a Congress candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections”, Mr Verma, said to be authorised by Mr Nath to speak to the media on his behalf, said.
Mr Verma said that Mr Nath would soon return to Bhopal and work out strategy for the party for the ensuing LS elections in Madhya Pradesh.
“Mr Singh is going to assess the extent of damage that may cause to the party in terms of exodus of leaders in the event of a veteran leader such as Mr Nath leaving the party”, a senior Congress functionary told this newspaper on Monday, unwilling to be quoted.
Sources said that Mr Singh is likely to interact with all the Congress MLAs and Congress leaders in the state individually to assess if they are loyal to Congress or a particular leader in the party.
“It is a pre-emptive move by Congress leadership to avert a possible exodus in the party in the event of veteran leaders such as Mr Nath deciding to leave Congress”, sources said.
State Congress media chief K K Mishra however said that Mr Singh’s visit to Madhya Pradesh has nothing to do with the ‘wild speculations in the media’ over Mr Nath joining BJP.
“Mr Singh is arriving here on Tuesday to attend a party meeting to chart out the plan for the proposed Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra of Mr Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh. The meeting is scheduled to be attended by all the Congress MLAs, presidents of district units of the party and state leaders”, he told this newspaper.
He however said that neither Mr Nath nor former chief minister Digvijay Singh is going to attend the meeting.
Mr Verma, meanwhile, reiterated that Mr Nath has no plan to quit Congress and join BJP.
“Mr Nath told me that he has no plan to snap decades old ties with Congress. He also asserted that his son Nakul is going to seek re-election from Chhindwara as a Congress candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections”, Mr Verma, said to be authorised by Mr Nath to speak to the media on his behalf, said.
Mr Verma said that Mr Nath would soon return to Bhopal and work out strategy for the party for the ensuing LS elections in Madhya Pradesh.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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