Kamal Nath told us he will remain a Congressman till he dies, say loyalists after Delhi huddle

Nath is yet to address the media, with his confidant Sajjan Singh Verma saying he would do so soon.

Chhindwara Congress leaders have been waiting to hear from Nath, with some saying they would follow him into the BJP if he makes the switch, and others urging him to remain with the Congress.

“We went and asked Kamal Nath what was the issue and he closed the matter by saying that he is a Congressman and will remain one till the day he dies. Nakul Nath will also not go anywhere. He said he worked for the Congress for 45 years and is the third son of Indira Gandhi,” said Tirupati Kankaiya, the state Congress committee secretary.

On Sunday, the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Congress frantically worked the phone lines in an attempt to keep its MLAs together while senior leaders put pressure on Nath not to leave the party. A delegation of Congress leaders have been dispatched from Bhopal to Chhindwara to make contact with Nath’s loyalists.

MLA Sohan Lal Valmiki put out a video message late Sunday night urging Nath to continue working for the Congress. “You have always worked to strengthen the Congress and the nation. Your supporters across the country and Chhindwara are with you.”

Nath had landed in New Delhi on Saturday after cancelling a five-day tour of his family bastion in Chhindwara. This came after BJP’s Madhya Pradesh president V D Sharma said Nath was welcome to join the party.