Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Tuesday said he would welcome any probe initiated by the present Government on alleged corruption when his Government was in power.
While talking to media persons in Ujjain, Nath said, "The Government must thoroughly probe all allegations. As their 15 years of corruption stand exposed, now they want to probe 15 months when my Government was in power. I welcome any probe."
When asked about recent statements by BJP leaders Jyotiraditya Scindia and Uma Bharti where they had called themselves Tiger and Mowgli, respectively, the former Chief Minister said, "They say such things when they don't have anything else to say. People of the State are intelligent and cannot be fooled. They know who the tiger is or who is what."
Regarding the upcoming by-polls in the State, he added, “The voters of the State are very sensible. Not only they know about what kind of betrayal happened in the past, but they also understand that the State was moving towards the path of development when we were in power. I am fully confident that Congress will be able to form the next Government in the State.”
There are striking similarities between his present campaign and the one he led in 2018 to bring the Congress back into power after 15 years. He had started the campaign with a ‘pooja’ at Ujjain. The key difference of course is the absence of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who blindsided him and his departure with a big chunk of the party caused the current campaign. Scindia was the campaign convener then.
Kamal Nath has few more pilgrimages lined up in the next few days before he gets to the war-room to be set up in Gwalior, the Scindia bastion.
Shortly after the ‘pooja’ and meeting with the party colleagues, Kamal Nath left for Badnawar to address the first rally -- ‘Loktantra Bachao’ (save democracy) rally.
Though Scindia and former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh were the senior leaders in the party, Jyotiraditya was presented as the youth face to draw the electorate. Singh was asked to bring about patch up between various factions. Kamal Nath was thus the key campaigner. He retains that status. Kamal Nath who drew good crowds in 2018 under Shivraj Chouhan's rule has made a striking start with Ujjain Congress leaders responding in large numbers despite the lockdown curbs. The temple town, once part of the Gwalior State has responded with hundreds of billboards greeting him.
Kamal Nath plans to list the achievements of his party and development works during the 15-month rule to seek return to power.
Kamal Nath held a one-on-one discussion with prospective candidates to set the selection process rolling. The party plans to have 24 call centres, one in each constituency that will witness the by-elections. The party workers will receive voters' feedback and inputs for the prospective candidates and the agenda to be set on local issues. The same strategy will be adopted in all 24 constituencies this time also.