I may not have contested LS polls had Arjun Singh not insisted: Kamal Nath

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath on Saturday said he not had contested the Lok Sabha election had the former chief minister (late) Arjun Singh not insisted him to contest the election.

Kamal Nath said that Arjun Singh told him that he has already spoken to Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi. “He told me I am not seeking your permission just instructing you to get ready to content Lok Sabha election,” Kamal Nath said while launching a book titled ‘Vindhya Ki Beti: Muhawaro Se Jhalakti Mamta’. The book is dedicated to Arjun Singh’s wife Saroj Singh.

The programme was organised by Arjun Singh Arjun Singh Sadbhavna Foundation at Bhopal’s Ravindra Bhavan.

Kamal Nath recalled the political developments occurred during Arjun Singh’s era, including the incident when he was appointed the Punjab governor and Motilal Vohra was appointed Madhya Pradesh chief minister.

Kamal Nath also recalled how Arjun Singh’s wife Saroj Singh stayed in Chhindwara for three weeks and worked hard to ensure his first Lok Sabha election in 1980.

Kamal Nath has been elected nine times as MP from his home district Chhindwara. His son Nakul Nath is the only MP from Madhya Pradesh.

The book ‘Vindhya Ki Beti: Muhawaro Se Jhalakti Mamta’ is collection of more than 150 proverbs in Bagheli dialect (Bagheli is local dialect in part of Vindhya region also called Baghelkhand- Rewa, Sidhi, Satna, Shahdol, Singrauli etc.)

Saroj Singh was born in Rewa and lived with her maternal grandmother in Burma. According to her daughter Veena Singh, who is now the head of Arjun Singh Arjun Singh Sadbhavna Foundation, Saroj Singh often used to utter ‘Bagheli Muhavras’ while speaking to the people at home.

“All the proverbs my mother used to say have been mentioned in the book with detailed meaning and explanation. People talk a lot about my father but my mother has played a prominent role. After coming back from Bruma at the age of six or seven, she lived in Amethi (Uttar Pradesh) to live with her Masi (sister of her mother). I therefore, decided to convert the collection of her proverbs into a book,” Veena Singh said.