Kamal Nath, Digvijaya in damage control exercise over 'tear clothes' row

A video of Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath where he is asking party men to “tear clothes” of his colleague Digvijaya Singh over denial of ticket to a leader from Shivpuri fuelled talks of a rift in the party over selection of nominees even as the two former CMs sought to make light of the episode and on Tuesday put up a united face ahead of the assembly polls.

In the viral video, Nath is heard telling a group of people, said to be supporters of party leader Virendra Raghuvanshi, that he had left the issue of (selection of Raghuvanshi's seat) to Digvijaya Singh and his MLA-son Jaivardhan Singh which might have caused some confusion.

The state Congress president is then heard telling the group to “tear clothes” of Digvijaya Singh (over the ticket denial issue).

Raghuvanshi, a former Bharatiya Janata Party legislator, joined the Congress earlier this month.

He had sought a Congress ticket from the Shivpuri assembly seat, but the party fielded KP Singh, a six-time MLA from Pichhore, from there.

After Raghuvanshi was denied the ticket, his supporters gathered at Nath's residence in Bhopal on Monday.

In the video, Nath was talking to Raghuvanshi's supporters when he made the remarks about former CM Digvijaya Singh and his son.

As the clip surfaced on social media platforms and fuelled speculation about a rift in the opposition party over ticket distribution, Digvijaya Singh put out a tweet on his official X account, calling for “patient solution”.

On Tuesday, both Nath and former CM Singh were seen together at the release of the Congress manifesto in the state capital for the November 17 polls and they talked about the video's content in a lighter vein.

Latching on the video, the ruling BJP and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan targeted the Congress and said the entire episode has exposed the "real face" of the opposition party.

Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh sought to downplay the controversy.

The Rajya Sabha MP, while tagging X handles of Nath, the BJP and the Congress, said, “When a family grows large, there is both collective happiness and collective conflict. Wisdom says that elders should patiently find a solution. God also supports those who have a combination of heart (mann) and hard work."

Speaking at the manifesto release programme, Nath said he first wanted to address media queries about his “tear clothes of Digvijaya Singh” remarks.

The former Union minister said his bond with Digvijaya Singh goes beyond politics.

"…The relations between Digvijaya Singh and me are not political. It is of love… I have given the power of attorney long back to him, that was for listening abuses for Kamal Nath. This power of attorney is still valid,” Nath said in a lighter vein.

Digvijaya Singh intervened and said it should also be known who is making "mistakes". He then light-heartedly added the PCC chief (in this case Nath) is the signing authority on election forms and asked, “So, whose clothes should be torn?”

Nath, referring to long family relations with former CM Singh, replied, “Whether there is a mistake or not, you (Digvijaya Singh) have faced abuses.”

The conversation ended with Digvijaya Singh's remarks that it is "Lord Shankar's (Shiva) duty to drink the poison" so he will do this.

Meanwhile, in a video statement, Congress leader Raghuvanshi urged his supporters to stay calm.

“I have been trapped in a vicious circle. I hope the top leadership pays attention… The leadership will give us a chance to serve after due consideration," he said.

Reacting to the development, Chief Minister Chouhan said, “This is the real face of the Congress… one ex-CM is saying tear clothes of another ex-CM and his son.”

Chouhan wondered who is the final authority in the Congress on selecting candidates for the Madhya Pradesh polls.

"Kamal Nath is saying his son Nakul Nath (Lok Sabha MP) will declare party tickets in Chhindwara (their home turf) and then the same will be declared from Delhi," the CM said.

“Is Sonia Gandhi's Congress different from that of Kamal Nath and Nakul Nath? How many Congresses are there? The people want to know this,” Chouhan said.

Sharing Nath's video on X, state BJP president VD Sharma said, “One ex-Chief Minister is instigating party workers to tear the clothes of another former CM, this is possible only in the Congress. The fight between 'Corruptionnath' (as BJP calls Nath) and 'Bantadhar' (a term used by saffron party for Digvijaya Singh) has come out on the streets.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Digvijaya Singh posted a tweet saying his family ties with Kamal Nath goes back to 1980.

“There have been differences of opinion between us on many issues. It is natural for two friends to have differences of opinion but there is no discord between us,” he said while sharing the video of the conversation between them on the stage earlier in the day.

In a series of tweets, Digvijaya Singh said it has been a tough job to select candidates for the polls as more than 4,000 ticket aspirants applied for 230 assembly seats.

The Rajya Sabha MP clarified his stand on ticket distribution and explained the multi-level process of selecting candidates in the party.

"It is natural to have discontent as every candidate thinks he/she can win election," he said.

The former CM said those who have failed to get poll tickets should write to relevant functionaries in the central leadership.

The Congress has announced a list of 144 candidates for the polls. Following the announcement, several Congress leaders expressed displeasure over ticket distribution and many of them resigned from the party.