Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Nakul Nath said Thursday that he would personally welcome Rahul Gandhiâs outreach yatra when it entered the state on 2 March, thereby scotching the buzz that the Chhindwara MP and his father â former state chief minister Kamal Nath â may switch to the BJP.
Nath told ThePrint that he would walk with Gandhi once his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra steps into Madhya Pradesh through Morena. His father has already participated â albeit virtually â in a preparatory meeting for the yatraâs Madhya Pradesh leg.
Meanwhile, the state BJP has said that nearly 1,500 Congress workers joined the party Wednesday in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav during a programme in Chhindwara.
Among the prominent names to switch over from Kamal Nathâs bastion were state unit secretary Ujjwal Singh Chouhan alias Ajju Thakur, his brother Praveen Singh Chouhan and chairman of Pandhurna municipality Sandeep Dhaturiya, along with several councillors and sarpanches.
However, Congress refuted the numbers, saying a little over 70 party workers had gone to the BJP and these were mostly followers of Ujjwal Singh Chouhan.
Pandhurna is one of the seven assembly segments in the Chhindwara constituency. It is also the only seat among MPâs 29 constituencies which is with the Congress. Kamal Nath has been elected from here nine times, and its current MP is his son.
Also read: Rahulâs Bharat Jodo Yatra cost Rs 71 cr, pre-poll surveys Rs 40 cr â Congressâs 2022-23 audit report
âChhindwara will vote for Modiâ
At Wednesdayâs rally, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav exuded confidence that the people of Chhindwara would vote for the prime minister in the coming Lok Sabha elections. He also inaugurated projects worth Rs 178.26 crore for the area, and of Rs 761 crore for nearby Balaghat.
He told the people that he would make all efforts for the development of Chhindwara âmuch like how Prime Minister Narendra Modi had left no stone unturned for the development of the countryâ.
Sending a cryptic message to the Congress, Yadav said: âPeople who have not come now will soon join the BJP.â
Meanwhile, Nakul Nath complained on social media platform X that work on a local medical college was still incomplete as the BJP had stopped funds. He wrote that this had deprived âthousands of people from getting necessary medical treatmentâ.
Nath also referred to a lack of facilities at Chhindwara University, and damage suffered by farmers from hailstorms.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
Also read: Why Sikh BJP leaders like Tajinder Bagga, RP Singh are opposing Kamal Nathâs âentryâ into party