Post-poll politics in MP: Nath rules out shifting to Delhi after party debacle
Bhopal: Former chief minister and Congress veteran Kamal Nath on Monday ruled out the possibility of his shifting to Delhi (Central politics) in the wake of his party’s debacle in the November 17 Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.
“Why should I shift to Delhi”, Mr Nath shot back while replying to a query by reporters here.
Mr Nath, who took oath as member of the MP Assembly in the afternoon nearly five weeks after he was elected from Chhindwara in the outgoing Assembly polls in the state, iterated that “I got another opportunity to serve people of Madhya Pradesh (after being elected as MLA). It is a matter of happiness for me”.
“I am not going anywhere. I will stay in Madhya Pradesh and continue to serve the people of the state”, he added.
Mr Nath’s clarification on his future plan comes amid speculations that he might be asked by the Congress high command to return to the Central politics following the party’s drubbing in the recently held Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.
Much to his chagrin, Mr Nath was reportedly asked by the party high command to step down as state Congress president to pave for a second generation leader to take over the party’s rein in MP soon after poll results were declared on December three last year.
Sources said that Mr Nath was very much upset over the development.
Mr Nath sought to parry the question as to if the party high command was unhappy with him over the debacle of Congress in the MP Assembly elections, quipping that, “You ask the party high command (about it)”.
Later, AICC general secretary in-charge of MP Jitendra Singh said that Mr Nath is a senior leader not only in MP but also in the country and AICC holds him in high esteem.
“Mr Nath owned moral responsibility for the loss of the party in the Assembly elections in MP and submitted his resignation (from the post of PCC chief).The AICC had asked him to continue in the post till a new PCC chief is appointed”, Mr Singh said.
Mr Singh added, “Mr Nath is a big leader of the state and will continue to remain so”.
Earlier in the morning, Mr Nath, while emerging from a Congress meeting here called to review preparations for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls by the party in MP, said that all the leaders in the party had made their contributions in the November Assembly elections.
“There is no disappointment (among Congressmen over the poll results). We will work with new vigour again for the upcoming LS polls in the state”, he added.
BJP won a landslide victory in the recently held Assembly elections by winning 163 seats in the 230-member state Assembly, leaving Congress to bag 66 seats.
