Visitors have to leave their phones in a tray in the waiting area. He clearly feels he can do without unnecessary controversies in the crucial election.
At 76, he is leading his party's campaign from the front. Time is of the essence for Kamal Nath, who will soon be travelling out of Bhopal. In the midst of a hectic schedule, the state Congress president talks exclusively to THE WEEK, exuding confidence that the people of Madhya Pradesh will avenge the toppling of his government in 2020.
Kamal Nath says the people are fed up with the 18-year-old rule of the BJP and realise that this election is about the future of Madhya Pradesh. He rejects the idea that he has played the hindutva card in this election, saying religion has no place in politics. He also seeks to downplay the visit of controversial religious leader Baba Bageshwar to Chhindwara district, his stronghold, insisting he was just being a good host.
Amid the buzz about tensions between him and party veteran Digvijaya Singh, he insists they are old friends and the remark about tearing of clothes was made in jest. Edited excerpts:
Q/ At the outset, I want to ask you whether I am talking to the next chief minister of Madhya Pradesh.
A/ You should ask the people of Madhya Pradesh, not me. The people of Madhya Pradesh will decide the chief minister. And I have full confidence and faith in the people because this is not an election of merely a candidate or merely a party. This election, which the people are realising, is about the future of Madhya Pradesh.
Q/ Is this election also about avenging what happened in 2020? Your government was toppled. It must also be a personal battle for you.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
