A war of words erupted after the Bharatiya Janata Party tweeted a video of Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath allegedly favouring candidates with criminal records, if they can win.
The BJP’s Madhya Pradesh wing on Saturday, November 3, tweeted a video of Nath allegedly endorsing candidates with criminal records, if they are capable of drawing votes and winning elections.
In the video, Kamal Nath is purportedly heard saying that he doesn’t care if a candidate has any number of cases against him, as long as he was capable of winning polls.
“Some say he has four cases against him, I say let there be five. I’m saying this very clearly, I want those who can win,” he allegedly said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan retweeted the video, saying that if this is what the politics of Congress had come down to, the people were sensible enough to realise which party to vote for on November 28.
Chouhan’s tweet came on the same day his brother-in-law Sanjay Singh Masani joined the Congress party. After the announcement, Nath wrote on Twitter, "... the state of politics in Madhya Pradesh can be seen in the fact that not even the children of the uncle are happy with the governance in the state.”
Congress Refutes Video, Claims it is Doctored
Congress spokesperson Shobha Oza slammed the chief minister for posting a doctored video to support his campaign. She said that the people of the state will give their “answer” to such an “edited video” on November 28.
On Twitter, the BJP responded to Oza and said that any doubts over the credibility of the video could be examined through a forensic test, which would lay bare the facts. They also questioned Kamal Nath’s own silence on the matter.
Congress spokesperson Narender Saluja also denied that Nath had made such a statement, according to NDTV.
"BJP is circulating a fake, edited video. Shivraj Singh Chouhan shared the video. The video clearly has cuts. Any attempt to defame a leader is a violation of the model code of conduct,” Saluja reportedly said, adding that the Congress will file a complaint with the Election Commission and the cyber crime cell.
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