Minister now accuses Digvijaya of 'blackmailing' MP govt

Escalating his attack on Congress veteran leader Digvijaya Singh, Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister Umang Singhar on Tuesday accused the former chief minister of "blackmailing" the party-led government in the state.

Earlier in a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday, Singhar claimed that Singh was trying to "destabilise" the Kamal Nath government.

The comments indicate factional feud in the state where the Congress came to power just nine months ago after 15 years in opposition.

"He (Digvijaya) has been openly blackmailing the government through select MLAs and ministers. He wants everything. He kept himself away from the state politics for ten years and came back to reap benefits when the party formed the government here," Singhar told reporters here.

He also blamed Singh for the Congress' failure to form government in Goa after the 2017 Assembly polls there, despite it then emerging as the single largest party.

"(YSR Congress leader and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister) Jagan Mohan Reddy also parted ways with the Congress because of him," alleged Singhar, the MLA from Gandhwani seat.

To another question, Singhar said, "He (Singh) resorted to the rhetoric like terming Hindus as terrorists and spies of Pakistan. He has made fun of everything and hurt the partys interests."
In his letter to Sonia Gandhi, the state forest minister said, "I am writing to you with a lot of pain to inform you that senior party leader and MP (Singh) is trying to destabilise the Kamal Nath government and trying to establish himself as a power centre."