Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday that the Congress chose Kamal Nath as its chief ministerial face in the state because of his "huge wealth." In response to the barb, Nath, former chief minister of the state, challenged him to name any "company or industry" that he (Nath) owns. This comes after a newspaper report quoted a Congress MP as describing Nath as a (financially) capable person, 'as required in politics'.
Responding to the claims, Nath said: "Shivraj Singh ji will not desist from speaking lies. Will he be able to state that I have no link to any industry? I am not the owner of any industry or company." Chouhan can not digest his food without lying, the Congress leader said, adding that the chief minister should name the "company, industry or business I own".
In support of his argument, the Madhya Pradesh chief minister stated that even Congress leaders agree that Nath is the party's choice because of his wealth.
"He has an aeroplane, a helicopter, cars, property, and wealth, which is why he is a Congress leader and their chief ministerial candidate.... But we have the public on our side," the chief minister said, without naming the state Congress chief.
"If a leader of Congress is chosen on the basis of wealth and resources, then so be it....but this cannot be a yardstick for a democratic leader," he said.
According to a newspaper report, Congress Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha described Nath as a (financially) capable person, "as required in politics." On Saturday, Tankha claimed that the newspaper misrepresented his statement.