Amid BJP switch speculation, Kamal Nath tells media 'will let you know'
son Nakul drops Cong from X bio
New Delhi/Bhopal, Feb 17: The buzz over senior Congress leader Kamal Nath's possible switch to the BJP grew louder on Saturday with the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister saying if there would be any such thing, he would inform the media first, and his son Nakul Nath dropping Congress from his bio on social media.
Congress leaders from Madhya Pradesh, however, stressed on the decades-old ties between Kamal Nath and the party to dismiss the speculation that he may cross over to the BJP. Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari recalled how former prime minister Indira Gandhi had described Nath as her "third son".
Nath arrived in the national capital Saturday afternoon and in his brief interaction with reporters here, he asked them not to get excited.
Asked if he is joining the BJP, Nath said, "If there would be any such thing, I would inform you first."
When a reporter asked if he was not denying a possible switch, Nath said, "It is not about denying, you are saying this, you people are getting excited. I am not getting excited, this side or that side, but if there would be any such thing, I would inform you first."
Nath had been on a tour of his bastion Chhindwara, from where he had been an MP for nine terms. His son Nakul Nath won the seat in the 2019 polls, even as the BJP swept the remaining 28 seats in the state.
Patwari dismissed the speculation that the party veteran may jump the ship to join the BJP.
Nath's colleague in the party and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijaya Singh also rubbished the rumours and dubbed them a "media creation".
Patwari told reporters, "Can you dream of the third son of Indiraji (Gandhi) joining the BJP?"
He said Nath stood behind the Congress like a rock during the bad patch when the government led by him was toppled by Jyotiraditya Scindia after joining the BJP in March 2020.
Digvijaya Singh suggested that Nath who started his political innings with the Nehru-Gandhi family could never leave the party.
"Don't get into the breaking business. I spoke with Kamal Nathji last night around 10.30 or 11. He is in Chhindwara. The person who started his political innings with the Gandhi and Nehru family....He stood behind the party when the entire Janata Party and the then government was sending (former PM) Indiraji to jail," he told reporters in Jabalpur.
"Can you believe that such a man will leave Congress, Soniaji and Indiraji family? You all should not even think of it," he added.
Meanwhile, adding to the buzz about Kamal Nath's possible switch to the BJP, his MP son Nakul Nath dropped Congress from his bio on social media.
Nakul Nath's move has added fuel to rumours swirling for the last few days that he, along with his father, are defecting to the BJP.
The bio of Nakul Kamal Nath on X now identifies him only as a Member of Parliament, Chhindwara (MP).
Though speculation about Kamal Nath's shift has been going on for the last few days, they got a fresh boost on Friday when state BJP president VD Sharma said Nath and his son are welcome in the BJP if they are unhappy with Congress' decision to boycott the Ram mandir consecration event held in Ayodhya.
"Kamal Nath and his son are welcome in BJP if they are unhappy with their party's decision to boycott Ram Temple inauguration last month and if they want to join the saffron party to serve the country and society under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi," Sharma had told reporters.
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP won 28 of the 29 Lok Sabha seats, except Chhindwara.
An astute politician who had worked with three generations of the Gandhi family. In 1979, then prime minister Indira Gandhi had described him as her third son.
Nath is said to be disgruntled over not getting a Rajya Sabha berth and also Rahul Gandhi is understood to be upset with him since the party lost the assembly polls late last year.
Nath was replaced as the party's Madhya Pradesh unit chief following its rout in the assembly polls, in which the BJP retained power winning 163 seats in the 230-member House. The Congress managed to win just 66 seats.
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Bird flu: Karnataka completes 10-day H5N1 surveillance, containment operation
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has successfully completed a 10-day intensive surveillance and containment operation following the detection of the H5N1 Avian Influenza outbreak here, officials said on Saturday.
The outbreak was reported in the State Poultry Rearing Training Centre in Mathkuru village, Hesaraghatta, on April 14, they said.
The surveillance was conducted by the Department of Health and Family Welfare of the state government in coordination with the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Department, officials said.
According to an official statement, once the outbreak was confirmed, following laboratory reports from the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD-Bhopal), State and District Rapid Response Teams along with Hesaraghatta and Sonnenahalli PHC (Primary Health Centres) teams were immediately deployed.
An infected zone of 0-3 km and a surveillance zone of 3-10 km radius was established. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services, culled all the birds and safely disposed of eggs and of contaminated feed, adhering to national and international biosecurity protocols, it said.
The health department said the surveillance zone from the infective focus in the 10 km radius, a total population of 28,172 across 22 villages was surveyed from day 1 to day 10. Multiple rounds of surveillance were conducted and sanitation activities were completed as per protocol.
During the surveillance period, nasopharyngeal samples collected from all quarantined staff on Day 5, sent to NIV-Bengaluru, were found to be negative for H5N1, it said.
On day 10, nasopharyngeal samples were collected and the results are awaited. No human case of H5N1 infection has been detected in the infected or surveillance zones, the health officials said.
"All healthcare facilities in Bengaluru have been instructed to continue ILI/SARI (Influenza-Like Illness/Severe Acute Respiratory Infection) case surveillance, and ensure adequate stocks of PPE, triple-layer medical masks, oseltamivir, viral transport medium, and throat swab kits," it said.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services issued a Sanitization Certificate on April 21, officials said.
"No poultry activity will be undertaken for a period of 90 days as a precautionary measure. During the three months of surveillance, the entire area of the farm will be repeatedly disinfected by fumigation (indoors) or sprays (open place) every 15 days," it further stated.
The public has been advised to avoid handling or consuming meat or eggs from sick or dead poultry and report sightings of sick or dead birds promptly to local veterinary or health authorities.
Ensure poultry meat and eggs are thoroughly cooked before consumption, as proper cooking effectively inactivates the virus, they said.
"The public is advised to follow official health advisories and avoid spreading unverified information," the department added.
