Bhopal: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Babulal Gaur, known for creating flutter with his statement, has claimed on Thursday that senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has offered him Lok Sabha ticket from Bhopal.
Asked whether he has taken a call on the Congress offer, Gaur replied in a cryptic style, “I have received the offer and would keep this in mind in future.” Probed further on this, Gaur in his usual style declined to speak much on this.
Gaur speaking to News18 also claimed he has old political relations with Singh.
Earlier on December 17, Singh had greeted Gaur at the oath taking ceremony of Kamal Nath and also had introduced him to Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Later, Singh and Gaur also met at his residence for lunch.
It is almost unlikely that the BJP would give Lok Sabha ticket to Gaur as they denied his re-nomination from Govindpura seat during assembly polls. Therefore, his inclination to the Congress offer seems a possibility as the veteran politician is in his fag end of his political career.
Meanwhile, the Congress offer also holds credence as the party hasn’t been able to wrest the Bhopal Lok Sabha from BJP since 1989. The party which returned to power after an exile of 15 years in Madhya Pradesh also has failed to nurture any leader to take on the BJP in Bhopal.
While, the Congress is also struggling to find a name for Bhopal parliamentary seat, some leaders had even proposed candidature of Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor and some others have put up posters of Priyanka Gandhi who was drafted into the Congress party on Wednesday as general secretary and UP East in charge.
Many believe it’s another pressure tactic from 88-year-old Gaur who was vocal against his own party since he was ousted from the Shivraj cabinet in 2016. However, sensing his clout in MP, the party avoided any action against him.
“It’s nothing but a decline of the Congress party. They brought in Priyanka Gandhi as Rahul Gandi flopped, and they were offering tickets to BJP leaders as they don’t have candidates of their own,” former minister Umashankar Gupta of the BJP said.
Congress spokesperson Ajay Yadav welcomed the offer given to Gaur calling him a fine and outspoken politician.
Former BJP minister Sartaj Singh who had joined the Congress after being denied ticket in assembly polls blamed the BJP policy for this offer.
“If you make a veteran like Gaur sit at home, he needs to find a way out to deal with his frustration,” said Sartaj Singh adding it is a good offer for Gaur.
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