Congress leader ‘blames’ Kamal Nath for MP election loss, gets show cause notice

The notice by the chairperson of Congress' media and publicity department Pawan Khera urged Alok Sharma to explain his remarks against Kamal Nath.

The Congress on Thursday issued a show cause notice to the party's national media panellist Alok Sharma for allegedly making “derogatory remarks” against senior party leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath, PTI reported.

Congress leaders Alok Sharma and Kamal Nath.(X)

The notice, issued by the chairperson of Congress' media and publicity department Pawan Khera, urged Sharma to explain why he made the remarks against Nath.

Sharma, during an interaction with a media channel, said that he wonders whether Kamal Nath was aligning with the BJP during elections. He had said that there should have been introspection by the Congress leadership into Nath's actions during the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections.

The BJP swept the Madhya Pradesh assembly election by winning 163 of 230 seats, successfully beating anti-incumbency. The win came at a time when the saffron party, contested the election for the first time in 20 years without a chief ministerial face.

The election also marked the BJP's first time participating without a designated chief ministerial candidate in 20 years. The Congress managed to win only 66 seats.

In Thursday's notice, Khera directed Sharma to explain within two days his position, failing which appropriate action would be initiated against him.

Khera said that the statements, coming from an office bearer like Sharma are unauthorised, baseless and defamatory, according to PTI.

“These statements, coming from a senior office bearer such as yourself, are not only unauthorised, baseless and defamatory but also demonstrate an attempt to undermine the party and your senior colleagues,” Khera said in the notice to Sharma.

"Being a member of the Indian National Congress, you are aware that the party discipline is sacrosanct and any violation of the same, has severe consequences. Hence, you are hereby put to notice and given two days from the receipt of this notice to provide your clarification on your statements," it added, according to the news agency.