Months after the failure in assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, ex-chief minister and Congress veteran Kamal Nath is seen to be fading into oblivion as it is being seen that Congress high command may have given up on him considering him irrelevant in Congress’s MP politics. The veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath’s political future seemed uncertain in view of latest developments.
Congress leaders are of the view that the trust factor the rank and file had towards Kamal Nath is not the same after the party faced the defeat under his leadership in MP assembly elections. Not only that, sources say, the high command has also lost trust in Kamal Nath and therefore did not make any effort to convince him to stay in the party at a time when there was a buzz of Kamal Nath’s floor-crossing and he negotiating a deal with the saffron camp.
However, another theory making rounds among MP leadership suggests that Kamal Nath had received a phone call from a leader at the top whereby it was conveyed to him that the party high command has been tracking Kamal Nath’s pursuit to switch sides and any development (even if only his son joins the BJP) will be taken seriously and he will bear the brunt.
While the issue of his possibility of joining BJP is concerned, there are seen to be two prime reasons as to why the deal couldn’t materialise. Firstly, BJP felt minimal need to include Kamal Nath into the saffron fold, and secondly Scindia had put to halt his all events in MP and firmly camped in Delhi to restrict the Congress veteran’s entry. A Congress leader said, “BJP may have felt that if we bring in Nath, we will have to accommodate his team and give them ministries and all other things which the BJP loyalists deserve.
Moreover, when such a thing happens new comers do create discontentment among already existing leaders within the party. They don’t want to share their privileges. Moreover, Scindia was also reported to have said that Nath was the reason why he left Congress and by bringing him into BJP, could lead again to an unending friction.” Moreover, discontentment over Kamal Nath within the cadre is said to have grown after he let the speculations about him being in talks with BJP continue without clarifying anything.
A Congress spokesperson on the condition of anonymity said, “When hbeing in talks with BJP was out in media and if he was not talking to BJP, he should have come out and clarified that he is a Congress loyalist. But he did not clarify anything. Moreover it was being spread from his side that there are 22 MLAs with him and his defection can bring Congress down to its knees. He is a Congress veteran, what he had earned in the last three decades, he lost it in three days just by not clarifying anything at all.”
Moreover, the big signal, of him getting sidelined, is presumed to be Congress’ denial of Rajya Sabha seat to him even after he met Sonia Gandhi. A senior Congress leader said, “He met Sonia Gandhi and even after that he did not get Rajya Sabha ticket. Moreover Cadre doesn’t seem to be wanting him anymore. They are of the opinion that his high handedness led to Congress’ defeat.” Moreover, the former Madhya Pradesh CM told the Congress workers recently, “If you want to bid farewell to Kamal Nath, it’s your choice. I am ready to leave. I don’t want to impose myself. This is a matter of your choice.”