NCP president Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said he has full confidence incapabilities of Madhya PradeshChiefMinisterKamal Nath, whose 14-month-old government is on the brink of collapsefollowing the rebellion by Jyotiraditya Scindia and MLAs loyal to him.
Pawar, a former Congressman, said if talks had been initiated with Scindia, who joined the BJP on Wednesday, a day after quitting the country's oldest political party, the present situation won't have arisen in the adjoining state.
Talking to reporters, he said, "People believe that Kamal Nath can do miracles. It will be known in the next one or two days if it will really happen. I don't know the composition of the Madhya Pradesh Vidhan Sabha.
"But, if there was adialogue with "raja saheb" (Scindia), this situation wouldn't have arisen. He wantedto be given new responsibilities after his defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. But, this is not Congress cultureand it is not easy."
Asked if the Congress was at fault, Pawar avoided a direct reply, saying, "I don't know about Congress fault. But it was felt that opportunity should have been given to a good person."
The former Union minister rejectedcriticism that Congress lacks strong leadership. "There is leadershipin the Congress and it is capable."
To a question on speculation thatdays of the MVA government are numbered after the eminent fall of the Nath regime, Pawar quipped, "The Shimga (Holi) festival just got over and there is no other mahurat left for the opposition."
Asked about the need for an SIT probe into the Koregaon-Bhima violence, Pawar said, "I am not aware if the government will form the SIT. But our demand stays."