The likely entry of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, ex-Union minister and long-time Congress leader Kamal Nath into the BJP begs the question — what does the BJP, which defeated the Congress comprehensively in the recent state Assembly polls, gain from his anticipated entry?
Two BJP insiders said the Congress, already cash-strapped after its shrinking political footprint, will also feel the loss of Kamal Nath’s fund-raising abilities.
Referring specifically to Madhya Pradesh, a BJP state leader said Kamal Nath is expected to cross over with loyalists from his turf Chhindwara, as well as those belonging to Jabalpur and a few other places. That will reinforce the impression of a Congress in implosion in another state where it has been strong, particularly coming after the departure of leaders close to Jyotiraditya Scindia to the BJP in the Chambal division.
A state BJP insider pointed out that in MP, the Congress has always been a combination of three or four lobbies. Now the legacy of the late Arjun Singh has faded, Digvijaya Singh has got “discredited among common Hindus” due to his Hindutva remarks, while Scindia is already in the BJP, the leader said, adding that if Kamal Nath too leaves now, the Congress will have no regional anchor left in MP – further opening up the field for the BJP.
A senior MP BJP functionary on condition of anonymity said Kamal Nath was too much of an old warhorse to not look out for his own political survival. “The only way he can sustain his political legacy after the recent election drubbing, at about 80 years of age, is to sail with the political current. In the BJP, Kamal Nath has a better chance of ensuring that his son or daughter-in-law continues his legacy,” the leader said.
Plus, as many BJP leaders point out, Kamal Nath, whose rise in the Congress happened courtesy his friendship with Sanjay Gandhi, does not really carry any ideological baggage. In fact, he leads among the Congress leaders trying soft Hindutva in a bid to take on the BJP.
During the Assembly elections, in an interview to The Indian Express, Kamal Nath had suggested that the Congress also deserved credit for the Ram Temple, which was then being built in Ayodhya. It was under Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister that the locks of Babri Masjid were opened, and he had also allowed the VHP to do shilanyas of the temple, Kamal Nath had said, adding that the BJP could not claim sole credit.
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