Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Saturday refuted the speculations about him joining the Bharatiya Janata Party calling them rumours. Kamal Nath further stated that political leaders are free and not bound to be associated with any outfit. "There are so many rumours going on, what can I say about them?," he said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Kamal Nath was responding to media queries pertaining to the likelihood of his Congress colleagues like Acharya Pramod Krishnam joining the saffron party. "All are free, not bound to be associated with any party," Nath said.
On being asked about whether he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the Madhya Pradesh Congress leader said that all decisions on candidates will be taken by the party, as reported by PTI. Candidates will be decided on the basis of winnability, the former MP chief minister added. Nath has represented Chhindwara in the Lok Sabha nine times. He lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow.
On Thursday, Congress leader Krishnam met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and invited him to the foundation stone laying ceremony of Shri Kalki Dham in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal on February 19. The meeting gave rise to speculation that he may join the BJP. Recently, Krishnam had criticised his party for skipping the idol consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya,
Nath, currently MLA from Chhindwara, was chief minister between December 2018 and March 2020 before a revolt by MLAs brought down his government.
Last month, Nitish Kumar ditched the I.N.D.I.A. bloc and the mahagathbandhan in Bihar, joining the NDA. He, along with eight ministers—three each from the BJP and the JD-U, one from HAM, and one independent—took the oath on January 28.
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