"Kamal Nathji will have Congress's ideology until his last breath": Jitu Patwari

"The rumours that Kamal Nath is going to the BJP--this is an example of how media can be misused. This was a conspiracy made against Kamal Nath. I spoke to him, and he said that all these things are just rumours, and he is a Congress person and will continue to be a Congress person," Patwari told ANI.

"He will continue to have Congress ideology till his last breath. This are his own thoughts. He said this," he added.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Sajjan Verma said that Nath has not thought of leaving the party.

"I had a discussion with him (Kamal Nath). He said that right now his focus is on how the caste equations will be on 29 Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh. He said that he has not thought about anything like that (of leaving the party)," he told reporters.

Earlier today, Congress leader and close aide of Kamal Nath Deepak Saxena said said that he has been given a 'cold shoulder' by the grand old party since its defeat in the state assembly polls.

"Kamal Nathji has been given a cold shoulder by the Congress party. This is why development in the Chhindwara constituency has been suffering from impediments. The public wants him to join the Bharatiya Janata Party so that the constituency can be brought on the path of development," Saxena told ANI.

"He has been neglected by the party since its defeat in the state assembly polls. The party has been blaming him for its failure in the polls, whether it is about snatching from him the post of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Chief or not nominating him for the Rajya Sabha," he added.

Saxena further said that the core committee of the party, involving senior party leaders in the Chhindwara constituency, has decided that he should go ahead and join the BJP in case he is continuously neglected by the Congress.

Political circles were abuzz on Saturday amid speculation that former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and veteran Congress leader Kamal Nath may join the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

The development comes as Kamal Nath and his son Nakul Nath, who is Chhindwara MP, reached Delhi on Saturday.

The speculations turned rife after a post shared by former Congress leader and BJP state spokesperson Narendra Saluja showed a picture of Kamal Nath with Nakul Nath captioned as 'Jai Shree Ram'.

As of now, there has been no official confirmation from Kamal Nath's side. On being asked about his plans to switch sides, Kamal Nath rejected all the claims, saying the media would be informed "if there is something."

"Why are you all getting excited? It is not about denying. I will inform you all if there is something like that," said Kamal Nath on Saturday, while speaking to the media.

Earlier on Friday, while addressing a press conference in Bhopal, BJP state president VD Sharma also reacted to speculations and said that they had kept their doors open.

When asked about speculations of the Congress veteran joining the BJP, Sharma said, "So today I am telling you the environment, we have kept our doors open because there are people in Congress who feel that Congress boycotts Lord Ram, India has Ram in its heart. When Congress insults him, then some people are pained by this, who are upset, and they should get a chance."

"If those whose names you are taking have pain in their hearts, then they are also welcome," Sharma said.

The Congress, after its abysmal performance in the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, had removed Kamal Nath from the post of PCC Chief and appointed Jitu Patwari.

Meanwhile, he is also said to have become disgruntled after the party did not nominate him for the Rajya Sabha. (ANI)