Kamal Nath Takes Oath as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal, Dec 17: Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, who steered his party to victory in Madhya Pradesh, was on Monday sworn in as its 18th Chief Minister, bringing to an end 15 years of BJP rule in the state which had become the saffron party’s stronghold. The nine-time MP and former union Minister was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Anandiben Patel at a function held at the Jambori Maidan on a day the Delhi High Court convicted Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, sparking calls that Kamal Nath should not be made Chief Minister.

Accusing him of having had a hand in the riots in Delhi, the BJP and Akali Dal demanded that Kamal Nath should not be made the Chief Minister. Asked about the demand, he told the media that he had been a Minister at the Centre in 1991 and later too but wondered why demands were being made now. “There has been no charge. There has been no case. Why now? I see a hidden hand.” The 72-year-old Kamal Nath, who represented Chhindwara for nine terms in the Lok Sabha, was the only one to take the oath even as the other contender to the Chief Minister’s post, Jyotiraditya Scindia, was present. The ceremony was held an hour behind schedule at 2.30 p.m. Before the ceremony started, Kamal Nath greeted the leaders on the stage and held Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s hand and greeted the people in which Scindia also joined. The scenes were lapped up by the hundreds of Congress activists and supporters gathered there. (IANS)

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