Kamal Nath: ‘BJP has 12 leaders on its hoardings… If it is ashamed of projecting Shivraj, there must be a reason’

The BJP campaign is projecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its face, with taglines like ‘MP ke mann mein Modi’. The BJP has also fielded several MPs. Does the Congress need to recalibrate its strategy, which has been focused on Chouhan?

MP’s voters are very sensible. If the BJP is ashamed of projecting Shivraj, there must be some reason. What are the misdeeds of Shivraj?… As the BJP is losing, it is pretending that it has changed its strategy. They did the same in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka (keeping state leaders in the background), but the people voted for a government that would work for their welfare. Go to the ground and see the condition of the Union ministers (fielded by the BJP). MP ke mann mein is samay sirf Congress hai (Right now, only the Congress is in the minds of the people of MP).

You have made 59 promises and given 101 main guarantees. Are these prudent from a fiscal point of view?

India is a welfare state. Mahatma Gandhi always said we need to wipe the tears of the last person in the queue… I never promise anything that I cannot deliver. Whatever we have announced, we have already done the financial calculations for it… In our last government, when we announced a farm loan waiver, people asked where the money would come from, even officials wondered… But we found a way out and waived off the loans of 27 lakh farmers. Had my government not fallen, the loans of other farmers would also have been waived off. We will do that this time. It all depends on how you control corruption and what your priorities are. Shivraj believes in television; I believe in vision… We will fulfill all these promises because it is our duty to be a welfare state.

The Congress tasted success in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka with similar poll guarantees. So is this going to be its template for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well?

Every election is different and every state is different. But it is certain that when we perform well… we will reap the benefits in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls… We should not forget that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra got a good response in MP and other states. The Congress will win the Assembly elections and, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, also win the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Why do you think the MP Congress has been a divided house for so long?

Had you spent 10 days in MP, you would have not asked this question. What so-called experts and people in Delhi are seeing is not the ground reality. If there is infighting anywhere, it is in the BJP. It has photographs of 12 leaders on their posters and hoardings. Had they been united, they would have projected one face… In the last six months, as many as 60 leaders along with thousands of their supporters — ex-MPs, ex-ministers, ex-MLAs, present MLAs, local leaders — have joined the Congress from the BJP… Jyotiraditya Scindia is now with the BJP, so I don’t want to comment on him. But the reality is that after he quit the Congress, the party got a mayor in Gwalior after 58 years (in 2022). After 32 years, the Congress got a mayor in neighbouring Morena. The Congress is stronger than ever in the Gwalior-Chambal religion.

Why has the Congress suddenly taken a turn towards caste census? It was never the party’s policy.

It is not true that we have taken a sudden stand on caste census. It was the Congress that did a caste census (a Socio-Economic Caste Census) when it was in power at the Centre. By the time the final figures came, the BJP came to power and they did not make the data public. What is wrong in doing a caste census? All one wants to know is their exact population. What problem does the BJP have with this?

One of the biggest things in Chouhan’s favour is his government’s schemes for women. How do you see this?

If Chouhan has indeed rolled out so many schemes for women, women of MP should certainly be aware of them. What we certainly know is that he has made MP No. 1 in atrocities against women. So far, Chouhan has made 22,000 false announcements. His announcement machine is working at double speed.

The Congress manifesto has also promised an IPL team for Madhya Pradesh. What prompted this, as no state government has ever formed an IPL team? What kind of a venture will it be?

There was a time when hockey players from MP were known internationally. Even cricket players from MP have performed well. But the youth of MP feel that while other states have IPL teams, MP has none. IPL provides good exposure to young talent. While obviously the BCCI or IPL are not government bodies, they can’t work without political will. We will talk to the IPL organisers and sponsors and create an atmosphere so that big investors show interest in setting up an IPL team… No one should doubt that an IPL team for MP will soon be a reality and also win tournaments.

Another interesting promise by the Congress is restarting the construction of a Sita Mata temple in Sri Lanka. Can a state make such a promise regarding another country?

It is the duty of every citizen to work for culture and faith. We had begun the process of construction of a Mata Sita temple in Sri Lanka in our previous government. The Shivraj government stopped the process… All this has been done by due process in the past. I do not comment on terminology like Hindutva, soft Hindutva and super Hindutva. For us, religious faith is a matter of conduct and thought, not propaganda. Fifteen years ago, I got a 101-feet-tall Hanuman statue installed in Chhindwara… The Congress allocated Rs 455 crore for a grand Mahakal and for Omkareshwar temples… I don’t understand why the BJP suffers a stomach ache if I pray in a temple. I don’t need a certificate from the BJP for being a Hindu.

Months after stepping down as CM in 2020, you issued an advertisement crediting the late Rajiv Gandhi with ‘Ram Rajya’ that included Gandhian values, and talked about his desire for a Ram temple.

Taala khola… Rajiv Gandhi got the locks (of the Ram temple at the Babri Masjid site) opened. Let us not forget history. The Ram temple (in Ayodhya) does not belong to any one party or person, but to the country and to every citizen. The BJP wants to usurp the Ram temple as its property… They were in government, they built it. Apne ghar se toh banaya nahin hai. Government ke paise se banaya hai (They haven’t built it with their own money. It’s the government’s money).

Your relationship with Digvijaya Singh dates back to the 1980s. Now there are reports of differences… with your ties in sharp focus. What are you doing to stem the reports of a rift?

The media need not worry about Digvijaya Singh and me. We keep indulging in casual banter. Even today we have been working together since morning and, after this interview, we will get together to complete the remaining work in the neighbouring room… The Congress is united.

INDIA allies Samajwadi Party, Aam Aadmi Party and JD(U) are contesting in Madhya Pradesh.

This election is between the Congress and BJP, between the BJP’s organisation and Congress. These small parties they understand… ki koi jaati ya rishtedari par vote de de (that someone may vote on caste or kinship lines), (but) it is an election between the BJP and Congress. It is not an election between Samajwadi and other small parties.