Bhopal: In the run-up to the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh categorically refuted reports of discord with state Congress president Kamal Nath, attributing such claims to the ruling BJP's propaganda. In a statement, Mr. Singh dismissed newspaper claims that he canceled his visits to Jhabua and Khategaon due to personal dissatisfaction. He asserted that there is "no factionalism" within the Congress and that every leader in the party is unified and committed to defeating the BJP.

Furthermore, Mr. Singh explained that he called off his visits to Jhabua and Khategaon because he needed to discuss certain organizational and electoral matters with the AICC general secretary.

In response to the BJP's assertion of dissension between Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh, Mr. Singh emphasized that differences within the Congress were being exaggerated by the BJP. He maintained that Congress leaders were united, denying any public rift with Kamal Nath. State BJP Secretary Rajneesh Agrawal cited a video in which Kamal Nath allegedly suggested tearing Digvijaya Singh's clothes during protests over ticket distribution. Agrawal contended that the video was indicative of visible differences between Nath and Singh. He also pointed out that Singh had blamed Nath for the ticket distribution.

Mr. Agrawal noted that Congress workers had publicly defaced posters featuring Singh and even burned his effigy after they were denied tickets. On the other hand, Congress General Secretary Randeep Surjewala drew an analogy between Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh and the iconic film characters Jai and Veeru, played by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra in "Sholay." He declared that neither the characters in "Sholay" nor the BJP's "Gabbar Singh" could provoke a conflict between Singh and Nath.

The state BJP spokesperson, Pankaj Chaturvedi, seized upon Surjewala's statement, asserting that it affirmed the similarity between Singh and Nath and the deceitful characters Jai and Veeru who escaped from jail. While a video of Kamal Nath seemingly calling for Singh's clothes to be torn over a ticket dispute emerged earlier this month, the two former chief ministers downplayed the incident and projected a united front.

The BJP accused Singh of distancing himself from campaigning due to the ticket distribution dispute, while Kamal Nath emphasized that his relationship with Singh extended beyond political matters. Madhya Pradesh is set to hold elections for all 230 assembly seats on November 17, with the results to be announced on December 3.

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