BHOPAL: In a development bound to cause embarrassment to ruling BJP in the assembly poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, veteran leader of the party and former chief minister Babulal Gaur praised state Congress president Kamal Nath in Bhopal on Friday.
And slamming the octogenarian BJP lawmaker over his praise for the former union minister was none other, but his BJP leader daughter-in-law and former Bhopal mayor Krishna Gaur, who is a front-runner in the race for succeeding him as the saffron party candidate from Govindpura assembly seat of Bhopal.
Addressing a program organized in Bhopal to release the book "Chhindwara Model: Sarvangin Vikas ka Vyapak Drishtikon" (Chhindwara Model: Comprehensive view on all-round development) penned by journalist Bhaskar Rao Rokde in Bhopal, the former CM and ex-state urban development and home minister Babulal Gaur praised the MPCC chief Kamal Nath for his commitment to development of MP.
The book unveiled on Friday at a program and seminar organized by a social group Vikas Samiti, focuses on development works done by Kamal Nath as nine-time sitting MP from Chhindwara parliamentary seat.
Addressing the program as chief guest, Gaur praised Nath for his enduring commitment for development of the state.
"When it came to development of MP, Nath never let political divide come in the way of development."
Recounting his stint as urban housing and development minister of MP, the octogenarian leader said on various occasions, Nath as union minister helped in the development of the state, be in on the project to bring Narmada water to Bhopal or for preliminary exercise on metro rail projects in Indore and Bhopal.
While most senior BJP leaders in the poll-bound state distanced selves from Gaur's statements on Friday, Gaur's daughter-in-law Krishna Gaur (former Bhopal mayor) who is being seen as one of the BJP contenders to succeed her illustrious father-in-law from Govindpura assembly seat of Bhopal, was not happy with the veteran leader's comments.
"Praising a leader like Kamal Nath, who was involved in the 1984 massacre of Sikhs is wrong. Particularly when such statements come from a senior leader like him (Babulal Gaur) from whom we all have learnt politics, it becomes more unfortunate. He shouldn't have been made such statements," Krishna Gaur told journalists later in MP capital.
When queried by scribes about Gaur praising initiatives by Nath (as a union minister) to develop Bhopal, when she was the city's mayor, Krishna Gaur said "as a union minister Kamal Nath helped in development of several other cities in the country, so if he (Nath) helped in development of Bhopal, he didn't do anything special."
It's not the first time that the eight-time BJP MLA from Govindpura seat of Bhopal, Babulal Gaur has caused embarrassment for the ruling party. In the past too he has made statements that have caused discomfort to the ruling party and Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. Particularly, after being dropped from the state's council of ministers in June 2016, Gaur has been often causing discomfort to his party and government with his candid statements.
At many occasions, Gaur has raised in the State Assembly issues like delay in metro rail projects in Bhopal and Indore and matters pertaining to malnourishment in the state.
While BJP veteran Babulal Gaur is the eight-time sitting MLA from Govindpura seat of Bhopal and is eyeing to get party ticket from the seat for the ninth time, the MPCC chief Kamal Nath is nine-time sitting Lok Sabha member from Chhindwara seat of MP.
Recently, Nath, while addressing a press conference in Bhopal had recounted how his efforts as a union minister for the development of Madhya Pradesh were praised in the past by former CM Babulal Gaur and present CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.