Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Wednesday demanded Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's apology in public for levelling "false allegations" against him.
Taking a swipe at Chouhan, Nath told a poll campaign rally that his name was never linked to Vyapam or dumper scams, which had allegedly taken place under the ruling BJP's watch during 2003--2018.
"My political life is unblemished. My name was never associated with any dumper scam, Vyapam scam or e-tender scam.
I had thought that after losing power (after the 2018 defeat of the BJP in the assembly elections), Chouhan will reform himself and stop spreading lies, but that didn't happen.
"He is levelling false allegations against me and he (Chouhan) should apologise to me in public," the former chief minister said while addressing the rally in Sumavli assembly constituency in Morena district for the November 3 bypolls in the state.
The Congress has given ticket to Ajab Singh Kushwaha from Sumavli while Aidal Singh Kansana, a former Congress MLA and now a minister in the Chouhan cabinet, is the BJP nominee from the seat.
"This will not go on Shivraj ji. It is not accepted that you tell any lie. People of the state have understood the politics of falsehood," Nath said.
In an apparent dig at Jyotiraditya Scindia, who had quit the Congress earlier this year and joined the BJP, Nath congratulated people for "freeing" themselves from the "Maharaja culture" which considered the common people as their slaves.
"During my tenure, I waged a war against mafia and adulterators. Everybody knows that the name of BJP candidate was about to come to the fore and that is why they traded with the BJP," he said.
He said Chouhan was misleading people on crop loans and farmers getting money in their bank accounts.
In a dig, Nath said the BJP had made 15,000 announcements in their previous 15-year stint in power which were never fulfilled.
"He keeps a coconut in his pocket and whenever he gets an opportunity, he breaks it (for performing a foundation laying ceremony)," Nath said referring to Chouhan.
At the rally, BJP leader Shiv Pratap Singh Sikarwar and his supporters joined the Congress in the presence of Nath.
