Madhya Pradesh minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's son Jaivardhan on Tuesday said Chief Minister Kamal Nath was the "sole power centre" in the state and his father was not meddling in the affairs of the party-led government.
His statement came a day after MP Forest Minister Umang Singhar accused Digvijaya Singh of "destabilising" and "blackmailing" the eight-month-old Congress-led government.
Singhar had told reporters that Digvijaya Singh was running the government from behind the curtain, which is known to everyone, including Congress workers.
Jaivardhan Singh, however, denied charges made by Singhar against his father, a two-time chief minister.
Speaking to reporters here, Jaivardhan Singh said, "I want to put it on record that the chief minister is the only power centre of the Congress in MP.
"We and all Congress MLAs follow his orders in a disciplined manner. The CM hears out our views."
"My father is not running any department. We ministers report only to Chief Minister Kamal Nath," he stressed.
Queried on Singhar's allegation that Digvijaya Singh was "patronising" people involved in illegal mining and liquor business, the 33-year-old Urban Development minister said his father has a clean political record.
"Everybody knows my father, in his over 40-year-long political career, has never indulged in illegal business," he said.
He said such questions should be asked to those who are making such baseless allegations.
Jaivardhan Singh said he would not speak against Singhar in front of the media as he is a cabinet colleague.
He said he would speak to the forest minister "in private".
Jaivardhan Singh defended Digvijaya Singh, a Rajya Sabha MP, for writing letters to ministers, claiming it is a common practice for public representatives, and added that he, too, had received one such missive.
On the feud in the Congress over the state unit chief's post, currently held by Nath, Jaivardhan Singh said public representatives have the right to speak out in a democracy.
Jaivardhan Singh made it clear his father is not in the race to become the Madhya Pradesh Congress president.
"I am hopeful the issue will be sorted out by the top leadership and the CM will dispel misconceptions. As far as I know, my father is not in the race for MP Congress chief's post," he asserted.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
