Bhopal: Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Thursday claimed that the ‘G-23’ group of Congress dissidents never demanded that a leader from outside the Gandhi family lead the party. Talking to reporters at his residence here, he said that his demand for organizational elections has been accepted and these elections will be held within three months.
When asked about the demand for someone from outside the Gandhi family to be made the Congress President, Madhya Pradesh Congress President Kamal Nath said, “I have contact with all the leaders of the G-23 group. We have worked together for years. He never made such a demand. All their demands have been accepted.”
The former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh said, “They (G-23 group) demanded party elections. Elections cannot be conducted without membership, so the process of organizational elections is also underway and elections will be held in three months’ time. Everything will come out soon.” He further said that people sitting in cities like Delhi, Bhopal, Mumbai and Bengaluru and talking about the country do not understand towns and villages.
The G-23 leaders, demanding organizational reforms, held meetings earlier this month after the Congress’s dismal performance in the assembly elections in five states. Kamal Nath also targeted the BJP governments at the Center and Madhya Pradesh regarding inflation. He said that today every section of the country is troubled by inflation. Today the price of everything has increased, if it has decreased then only the price of liquor.
Taking a jibe at the BJP government at the Center and Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath said, “Today milk is getting expensive and liquor is getting cheaper.” He said that the rising prices of petrol and diesel not only affect the vehicles but it also affects the food items, milk, vegetables, medicines and everyday things, as it increases the cost of transportation.
Kamal Nath said, “Those who Modi ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) used to talk a lot on rising inflation in 2013-14, Shivraj ji (Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan) used to cycle, all of them are silent on this issue today. Huh.” He said that Chief Minister Chouhan is only opening “factories and factories of announcements and assurances”.
Kamal Nath said that today the price of fertilizers and seeds has increased significantly as compared to the last four years. Today, farmers, youth and small traders are suffering due to rising inflation. He said that economic activity is at a standstill in the whole of Madhya Pradesh, so we have decided to agitate today against rising inflation, so that “anyhow their eyes and ears are open because their mouth is open, but their eyes and ears are closed.” (agency)