Kamal Nath sees 2024 polls connection to Khalistani provocation, Ram Navami clashes

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath on Tuesday alleged divisions are being created among people in view of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and cited activities of pro-Khalistan elements in Punjab and communal tension in West Bengal and some other states during Ram Navami celebrations.

He warned of dire consequences if the Constitution goes into wrong hands and claimed government institutions of the country are being misused under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rule to target Opposition leaders.

Nath was addressing a seminar on "Samvidhan ka Sanrakshan aur Samvidhan ka Utthan” (Conserving the Constitution and Uplifting the Constitution) organised by the Madhya Pradesh unit of the All India Professional Congress (AIPC) in Indore.

“We are reading in newspapers that there is a dispute over the Hindi language in Tamil Nadu. Pro-Khalistan slogans are being raised again in Punjab. Last week, we saw how processions (organised on the occasion of Ram Navami) were disrupted (in some states),” said the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister.

The Congress veteran said religious processions were taken out earlier also, but now people are being divided in view of the next year's Lok Sabha elections and this was getting reflected in incidents of stone pelting and ruckus during such events.

“You know what will be the consequences if our Constitution goes into wrong hands and foundations of our culture are shaken,” he said.

Nath alleged that as part of a strategy, the Opposition was being suppressed by misusing government institutions of the country. This is being done to ensure the "evil deeds" of the ruling BJP does not come out in the open.

The Congress leader said as Madhya Pradesh chief minister (from December 2018 to March 2020), he never used state machinery to settle score with his political opponents.

“Can any BJP leader say that I initiated any action to harass him when I was the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh? Then I used to get a bunch of documents and I was asked to file a case with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) or the police against some people, but I used to say such cases will be examined later,” Nath said.

The former Union minister said when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was in office (2004-2014), BJP leaders used to allege big scams in allocation of 2G spectrum (to telecom firms) and coal mines, but nothing came out of these allegations.

"Did they (BJP leaders) win any court case related to these allegations...did any of the accused go to jail after conviction?" asked the former Lok Sabha MP from Chhindwara.

Earlier, Nath and his party colleague Shashi Tharoor released a book, “Gandhi, Siyasat Aur Sampradayikta”, penned by former journalist Piyush Babele.

Babele currently serves as media advisor to Nath.