Emotional Kamal Nath says he is ready for farewell

BHOPAL: Former chief minister and Congress stalwart Kamal Nath on Wednesday became emotional while addressing a party workers’ convention in Chourai assembly segment of Chhindwara Lok Sabha constituency.

“Vida karna chahte hain, toh aapki marzi, main taiyyar hoon. Mein khudko thopna nehi chahta hoon. Yeh toh aapki maan-mansha ki baat hai (You want to send me off, that is your wish. I am ready. I do not want to impose upon you. This is a matter of your mind and intent),” Nath, who represented Chhindwara for nine terms in Lok Sabha, said, looking emotional.

Earlier this month, there was intense speculation that the veteran Congressman and his son, Chhindwara MP Nakul Nath, might quit Congress and join BJP. On Tuesday, Nath called the entire episode a ‘media-created rumour’.

“You people are doing this (speculating that he will quit Congress),” Nath had told reporters in Chhindwara on Tuesday. “No one else is talking about this. Have you ever heard this from my mouth? Is there any indication? You people run the news and then you ask me (if it is true). You stop running this news. Refute the news yourselves,” he said.

His close confidante and former minister Sajjan Singh Verma has clarified that Nath is not quitting Congress and Nakul will contest from Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat as the party’s candidate.

On Wednesday, addressing Congress workers, Nath senior said, “We have a challenge before us. BJP is very strong and is doing aggressive campaigning. But do not be afraid. They are just putting up a show. Do not wait for anyone. Do not think that anyone will give you directions. You will have to do it yourself. It is just a matter of six weeks now.”

He told Congress workers that they would have to work to secure their future. “I have full faith in you. You have built this foundation. You have to make this foundation even stronger,” he said.

Chhindwara is the last Congress bastion, which BJP has won only once. In the 1997 bypoll, former CM Sundarlal Patwa defeated Kamal Nath by 37,680 votes. Nath bounced back the next year, defeating Patwa by nearly 1.9 lakh votes.

Even in the 2019 election, when the saffron wave swept 28 seats in MP, Nath’s Chhindwara stood with Congress. This election, the BJP’s top priority is to wrench the last Congress fortress.