Bhopal: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s comment that he has been in politics for a long time and is ready to sit at home has set tongues wagging, with some interpreting it to mean that the senior Congress leader was hinting at retirement.
Nath, 74, is currently the Madhya Pradesh Congress chief and also the Leader of Opposition in the assembly.
On a four-day visit to Chhindwara, the Congress veteran told party workers Sunday that he has been around for a long time and has accomplished a lot.
“I don’t hanker after power or post. I have achieved a lot. I am ready to sit at home and take rest,” the former Union home minister said at his home turf.
When reporters sought clarification Monday, Nath said he would take “sanyas” (retirement) the day people of Chhindwara ask him to.
Nath’s son Nakul represents Chhindwara in Lok Sabha, while the former CM represents it in the state assembly.
Nath was the Member of Parliament from Chhindwara for nearly four decades before he contested an assembly by-election last year to validate his stay in office. He was not an MLA when he took oath as the CM in December 2018.
Nath’s comments come more than a month after the Congress won only nine out of the 28 seats for which by-elections were held on 3 November. The victory in 19 seats allowed the ruling BJP to take its tally to 126 in the 230-member House.
When ThePrint called Nath’s office, his staff said he wasn’t available for comment.
His media coordinator Narendra Saluja, however, told ThePrint the veteran leader never hankered for power unlike Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
“Nath got a mandate for five years, but Chouhan toppled the Congress government because he could not remain away from power for even 15 months,” he said.
Saluja also claimed that immediately after Nath’s remarks Sunday, Congress workers raised slogans asking him not to retire.
Also read: ‘Item’ used even in Lok Sabha — Kamal Nath says remark not disrespectful, won’t apologise
It’s time for Kamal Nath to retire, says BJP
BJP leaders, however, advised Nath to retire.
“Finally, you have acknowledged it. It’s time to retire,” state BJP president V.D. Sharma told reporters, while asking Nath to also convince another party veteran Digvijaya Singh to retire.
BJP spokesman Lokendra Parashar tweeted that if Nath would have thought about retirement before, then Madhya Pradesh wouldn’t have been ruined for 15 months.
हुजूर काश यह पहले सोच पाते
तो 15 महीने मध्यप्रदेश बरबाद तो न होता,,,
"मैंने बहुत समय काट लिया…
मैंने बहुत कुछ प्राप्त कर लिया है,,,
जितना मैंने प्राप्त किया शायद किसी और ने प्राप्त किया होगा,,,
मैं घर बैठने को तैयार हूं,,,"
वाह @OfficeOfKNath जी! कुछ तो सच बोला pic.twitter.com/Qwownxfsdm
— लोकेन्द्र पाराशर Lokendra parashar (@LokendraParasar) December 14, 2020
He later told reporters it’s time the Congress veteran vacate his government bungalow in Bhopal and return to Chhindwara.
Good people like Kamal Nath are needed in politics: Congress
Nath’s comment came the same day Congress MLA Babulal Jandel said that the party fared badly in the recent by-elections because former CM Digvijaya Singh was kept away from campaigning.
Jandel, an MLA from Sheopur, also alleged that Nath prevailed over ticket distribution and gave tickets to people who did not enjoy voters’ confidence.
“If Digvijaya Singh wanted, he could have made his legislator son Jaivardhan Singh the chief minister, but he allowed Kamal Nath to helm the state. Yet Nath projected Singh as the reason why the party lost the elections,” Jandel said at a party event in Sheopur.
Asked about Jandel’s remarks, Saluja told ThePrint the party will ask him to explain why he made such comments.
Denying any differences between Nath and Digvijaya Singh, Saluja said the latter had himself publicly said that the by-elections were fought under Nath’s leadership.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Chandra Prabhash Shekhar told ThePrint it was an emotional comment from Kamal Nath, who was never after any party post.
“He will remain involved in state and national politics. Such good people are needed in politics,” he said, ruling out the possibility of Nath hanging up his boots.
Also read: Kamal Nath calls former woman colleague who switched over to BJP ‘an item’, creates furore
Don’t share fake news and rumours.. As government is going to ban you very soon
DOGVIJAY should join him.