Escalating his attack on Congress veteran leader Digvijaya Singh, Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister Umang Singhar on Tuesday accused the former chief minister of "blackmailing" the party-led government in the state.
Earlier in a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday, Singhar claimed that Singh was trying to "destabilise" the Kamal Nath government.
The comments indicate factional feud in the state where the Congress came to power just nine months ago after 15 years in opposition.
"He (Digvijaya) has been openly blackmailing the government through select MLAs and ministers. He wants everything. He kept himself away from the state politics for ten years and came back to reap benefits when the party formed the government here," Singhar told reporters here.
He also blamed Singh for the Congress' failure to form government in Goa after the 2017 Assembly polls there, despite it then emerging as the single largest party.
"(YSR Congress leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister) Jagan Mohan Reddy also parted ways with the Congress because of him," alleged Singhar, the MLA from Gandhwani seat.
To another question, Singhar said, "He (Singh) resorted to the rhetoric like terming Hindus as terrorists and spies of Pakistan. He has made fun of everything and hurt the partys interests."
He also accused the veteran Congress leader of pressurising ministers and other officers in the state.
Singh recently wrote to state ministers, urging them to give him appointment so he can know what action has been taken on his recommendations for transfers and other works.
Taking strong exception to Singh's letter, Singhar claimed that the former chief minister was running the Kamal Nath-led state government from "behind the curtain".
In his letter to Sonia Gandhi, the state forest minister said, "I am writing to you with a lot of pain to inform you that senior party leader and MP (Singh) is trying to destabilise the Kamal Nath government and trying to establish himself as a power centre."
He claimed Singh has been continuously writing letters to the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues and also circulating them on social media.
Digvijaya Singh could not be contacted for comments in the matter, but his son Jaivardhan Singh, who is also a minister in the state Cabinet, said there is nothing wrong in writing letters, which he termed as a "democratic system".
"The Congress government in Madhya Pradesh is formed due to the hard work of our workers and people's blessings. The challenge before us today is to uphold the Constitution of the country. Farmers, labourers and youths, who were exploited by BJP, are looking at us with hopes," he said in a tweet.
"Writing letters is a democratic system. There is nothing wrong in it," he further tweeted in Hindi.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Manak Agrawal, considered a close confidante of Digvijaya Singh, said Chief Minister Kamal Nath has taken note of the issue.
"Kamal Nathji has taken cognisance of the matter and he will sort out the issue today itself," Agrawal told PTI, when asked about Singhar's allegations against Digvijaya Singh.
Amid the allegations and counter claims, former state Congress president Arun Yadav expressed his anguish over the ongoing situation.
"I am pained to see the scenario emerging in the last 8 months after party regained power following 15-year long struggle of honest partymen in MP. If I had a hint that this situation will emerge, I would not have fought against the poisonous and corrupt ideology by putting my own life at risk. I am deeply hurt," he tweeted in Hindi.
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