Digvijay, Kamal Nath call on Shivraj Singh

SINGH GOT an appointment with the CM on Sunday after he raised a hue and cry over cancellation of his meeting on January 21.

Congress veteran Kamal Nath on Sunday decided to accompany his party colleague Digvijay Singh to meet Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to discuss the plight of farmers affected by two irrigation projects in four districts in Madhya Pradesh, raising eyebrows in political circles here.

Singh got an appointment with the Chief Minister on Sunday to discuss the matter after he raised a hue and cry over cancellation of his meeting with the latter on January 21 at the last minute.

“Digvijay Singh had sought appointment with the Chief Minister (to discuss the issue). He was given an appointment on Sunday. I offered to accompany him to meet the Chief Minister when Singh informed me about his Sunday’s appointment with Chouhan”, Nath told reporters here.

He reiterated that his meeting with the Chief Minister at the airport hangar on January 21 was ‘accidental’.

Nath explained that he landed in Bhopal airport after his two-dayvisit to Chhindwara on January 21 and the Chief Minister was leaving for Dewas from Bhopal on the day.

Hence, it was a chance meeting between him and the Chief Minister at the airport hanger that day, he said.

He was trying to dispel the impression that he could meet the Chief Minister easily on

January 21 even though Singh had been waiting for an appointment with Chouhan for the last one and half months.

Singh claimed that he had been seeking an appointment with the Chief Minister since December 17 and he got an appointment with him finally on January 21.

The January 21 appointment was however canceled at the last moment, leaving Singh fuming.

The appointment was rescheduled for Sunday when Singh staged a sit-in on the road here on January 21 to protest the cancellation of the appointment.

State home minister Narottam Mishra on Sunday took strong exception to the alleged attempt by Singh to lower the dignity of the office of the Chief Minister by staging such political dramas.

A senior Congress leader requesting anonymity told this newspaper that Nath’s ‘sudden’ decision to accompany Singh to meet the Chief Minister has surprised the partymen.

“Nath has sought to remind Singh that he is the boss in the party by deciding to join the delegation to meet the Chief Minister”, he said.

Incidentally, Singh has earlier said there was no rift between him and Nath.