There may be pressure from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax and CBI on senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, he will not will compelled to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the grand old party's Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh said on Sunday. His comments as speculations surrounding Nath's and his son Nakul Kamal Nath's possible switch to the BJP intensify amid a series of defections from the Congress to the BJP.
"There is pressure from the ED, IT and CBI on him (Kamal Nath) like everyone else," Singh said while addressing mediapersons. "However, Kamal Nath ji's character is not such that he will succumb to pressure."
'Impossible' to switch sides
Singh also said that it was "impossible" for Nath to switch sides now given his political history with the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family.
Speculations have been rife that Nath and his Nakul will both enter the BJP after the Congress veteran's decision to cancel all planned public meetings in Chhindwara and opting instead to head to Delhi. Furthermore, Nakul, a Lok Sabha member, has also removed the 'Congress' affiliation from his profile on X.
The speculations intensified after Nath neither confirmed nor denied his possible switch to the BJP. "I am not taking sides, but if there were any developments, I would inform you first," he told the media.
Congress dogged by several defections
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress party faced a major blow in Madhya Pradesh after several of its leaders including former MLA Dinesh Ahirwar and Congress' District President from Vidisha, Rakesh Katare, switched allegiance to the BJP earlier this month.
In Maharashtra, senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan, former chief minister of the state, also entered the BJP. Chavan's name has been embroiled in multiple scams including the infamous Adarsh scam and alleged landgrab in Yavatmal in 2011.
