Kamal Nath Assures Congress He Won't Leave, Son Nakul Might Join BJP, Sources Say

Amid uncertainties over Congress leader Kamal Nath‘s next step following speculation of him and his son, Nakul Kamal Nath joining the BJP, party colleague Jeetu Patwari called it a “conspiracy” against the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, Congress sources on Sunday said Kamal Nath “assured” them he won’t leave the party.

“It’s a conspiracy against Kamal Nath. I spoke to him he said he is a congressi and will remain one. When the time comes Kamal Nath will himself come out with clarity over it,” Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari said.

“Once again, it was shown how BJP misuses the media to question the faith of anyone. I have talked to Kamal Nath, and he told me that all these speculations are just conspiracies, and he is, was, and will be a Congress leader,” he added.

However, earlier in the day, Congress sources said while Kamal Nath himself might not join the BJP, his son and some other party leaders might.

Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma, who is also a close aide of Kamal Nath, also said he has “not thought about anything like that”.

“I had a discussion with him (Kamal Nath). He said that right now his focus is on how the caste equations will be on 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh. He said that he has not thought about anything like that (of leaving the party)…” Verma said.

The latest development comes a day after Kamal Nath said, “I will inform if anything like this happens”, to rumours of him and his son Nakul Kamal Nath joining the Saffron party.

While most party colleagues had rejected the said reports, one of Nath’s aides, Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma, on Saturday hinted towards “insult and self-respect” being the driving factor behind the “change in a person’s decision”.

“Three things work in politics- respect, insult and self-respect, when these are hurt a person changes his decisions. When such a top politician who has done a lot for Congress and the nation in the last 45 years, thinks of moving away from his party, then all three factors work behind it. No decision has been taken that Kamal Nath ji is going, right there is just speculation…” Verma said.

Another party leader BK Hariprasad, while refusing to comment on Kamal Nath, said some leaders are looking for a “greener pasture”.

“…I can’t say on Kamal Nath, but some leaders looking for a greener posture, they are leaving the Congress party. That doesn’t make any change. Millions of workers are strongly behind the Congress party… Well, they (Kamal Nath) are the most greedy leaders, they are leaving the party for the greed of power…” the Congress leader said.