Kamal Nath downplays claims on resigning as MP Cong chief

A day after Congress general secretary Deepak Babaria claimed that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath offered to step down as the state's Congress chief, the latter on Sunday said the offer was made during the Assembly elections held last year, and not now.

Speaking to reporters here, Nath said, "He (Babaria) was talking about my proposal to resign after the Assembly election results a few months ago. I had told him to appoint someone else as I had too much of responsibility on my shoulders."

On Saturday, Babaria had said "Kamal Nath has offered to resign from the post of Madhya Pradesh Congress committee president," after the party's dismal performance in the recently-concluded general elections.

Decimated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which won 28 out of the 29 seats in the state, the Congress could only open its account by winning Chhindwara Parliamentary constituency. The Congress government enjoys a slim majority in the state assembly.