Bhopal, Jan 8 (IANS): Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Wednesday denied dissent within the party's state unit, claiming that speculation was baseless.
Kamal Nath said all the Congress leaders are working unitedly to strengthen the party and take on the Mohan Yadav government in the state.
The Congress leader's statement came amid reports that he and some other senior party members, including ex-CM and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh, expressed annoyance over being sidelined.
According to sources, Kamal Nath's outburst was witnessed during a virtual meeting to discuss preparation for the party's mega event in Mhow, the birthplace of the architect of the Constitution B. R. Ambedkar.
The state Congress unit is all set to launch its campaign from Mhow on January 26. Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge are supposed to join the campaign.
Sources said Kamal Nath has expressed his disappointment, saying he wasn't being consulted by the state unit head Jitu Patwari for any programme.
Sources claimed Digvijaya Singh and some other senior leaders agreed to Kamal Nath's claims.
However, after the news of "differences" spread, Kamal Nath on Wednesday said, "All Congressmen are united to strengthen the party and bring the state's system back on track. There is no question of dispute. The speculation of resentment in the media regarding the recent meeting of the party's State Political Affairs Committee is baseless."
Interestingly, Kamal Nath's clarification came a day after Congress' state unit chief Jitu Patwari denied reports, saying all decisions are being taken with consultation of all party workers. Patwari has also said that he would personally meet Kamal Nath.
Recently, the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) released a list of the party's media panellists and spokespersons. However, the list was withdrawn, just hours after it was issued to the media.
The sources said the list was withdrawn following resentment among Congress party workers.
Notably, following an embarrassing defeat in the Assembly elections in November 2023 in Madhya Pradesh, the Central leadership of Congress replaced Kamal Nath with Jitu Patwari as the new state unit chief.