Bhopal: Congress veteran Kamal Nath on Sunday dared the BJP to declare its chief ministerial (CM) face for the poll-bound Madhya Pradesh and wondered why the saffron party was reluctant to announce its CM candidate.
Mr Nath said that the saffron party was feeling embarrassed to project the four-time chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as its CM face in the year-end assembly polls in the state.
“It seems the BJP is embarrassed to have Mr Chouhan as its chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming assembly polls. Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah be able to announce BJP’s CM face for MP during their coming visits to the state?”, Mr Nath asked.
Mr Nath’s statement comes on the eve of Mr Modi’s visit to Bhopal on Monday where he is scheduled to address a BJP rally ahead of the year-end assembly elections in the state.
The ruling BJP here has reacted sharply to Mr Nath’s statement, saying that there was absolutely no dilemma regarding the CM face of the party in MP.
“Chief minister, obviously, is the state leadership of BJP. There is no dilemma over it in the party. Besides, a chief minister is chosen by the central parliamentary board and the legislature wing of the party after elections”, state BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal said.
Mr Agrawal took a dig at Mr Nath for demanding BJP to announce its CM face, saying that there was confusion in his own party over its CM face for MP with the issue dividing the grand old party here.
‘The former chief minister first should explain why Congress has not yet cleared the confusion in his party over its CM face for MP. While Mr Nath’s camp declared him as CM candidate, senior party leaders such as Dr Govind Singh and Arun Yadav have announced in public that the CM will be decided by the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) after elections”, Mr Agrawal said.
Besides, Mr Nath should also recall that Congress did not declare its CM face in the recently held Karnataka assembly elections, he added.
Mr Nath also pooh-poohed Mr Chouhan’s claim that BJP would register its biggest ever victory in the upcoming assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, due in November this year.
“Has any prediction by Mr Chouhan ever come true?” he questioned.
Mr Nath claimed that Congress would return to power in MP in the ensuing polls with full majority.
