CLAIM
A viral message doing the rounds on social media claims that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath was late Rajiv Gandhi’s driver. The message reads, राजीव जी का ड्राइवर कमलनाथ आज MP का मुख्यमंत्री बना है, आज 2अरब का मालिक है , ओर कितने अच्छे दिन चाहिए भाइयो, भाइयों बड़ी मुशकिल से फ़ोटो मिला है (Translated: Rajiv Gandhi’s driver Kamal Nath is now the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, he is worth 2 arab [Rs 200 crore], how many better days do you want, brothers have got this photo with a lot of difficulties).
Several social media users shared the image with a similar narrative on Twitter and Facebook.
TRUE OR FALSE?
The image doing the rounds is making false claims. Kamal Nath had shared the original image from his official Twitter handle on 20 August on the occasion of Rajiv Gandhi’s birth anniversary. Hence, it was not at all a difficult task to get this image.
Speaking to The Quint, senior journalist Nilanjan Mukopadhyay said, “I haven’t heard of any such thing that Kamal Nath was Rajiv Gandhi’s driver. He was Sanjay Gandhi’s political associate and a Sanjay loyalist. After Sanjay Gandhi died, Kamal Nath was associated with Rajiv Gandhi in his political career.”
Kamal Nath and Sanjay Gandhi were close friends from their days together in Doon School, reported The Print. Nath is a graduate in commerce from St Xavier’s College in Kolkata. In 1968, he became a member of the Indian Youth Congress.
Reportedly, during India’s Emergency years, slogans such as “Indira ke do haath, Sanjay Gandhi aur Kamal Nath,” were very famous.
Kamal Nath has been the member of Parliament from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh nine times since 1980. He has served as the Union Minister of State for the Environment and Forests from1991-1995 (Independent charge), Union Minister of State for Textiles from 1995-1996 (Independent charge), Union Minister for Commerce and Industry (2004-09), Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways (2009 - 2011), Union Minister for Urban Development (2011-2012) and Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs (2012-2014). He was also appointed as the pro tem speaker in 2014.
The claim that Kamal Nath has assets worth Rs 200 crore, however, is true. He had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Chhindwara in MP and as per an Association for Democratic Rights report, his assets were worth over Rs 206 crore in 2014.
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