Digvijaya Singh, Kamal Nath, J Scindia Revive Debate Over 2020 Government Collapse

The controversy surrounding the collapse of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh five years ago has resurfaced, with sharp exchanges between senior Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath, and the BJP's Jyotiraditya Scindia.

In a recent media interview, former chief minister Digvijaya Singh claimed that the fall of the Congress government after 15 months stemmed from differences between Kamal Nath and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Mr Singh said the "understanding" between the two leaders on the way of working was not honoured. Despite his efforts to mediate through mutual acquaintances, he alleged, commitments made in the Gwalior-Chambal region were ignored.

Responding on social media platform X, former chief minister Kamal Nath wrote that there was "no use digging up old matters" but admitted Mr Scindia's resentment played a decisive role. "Apart from personal ambition, Scindia felt Digvijaya Singh was running the government. In this resentment, he broke Congress MLAs and toppled our government," Mr Nath posted.

Mr Scindia, while on a tour of Guna district in Madhya Pradesh, dismissed Mr Singh's remarks as "a matter of the past." He refused to comment further, saying, "I will not talk about the past."

The remarks triggered a fresh round of political sparring.

BJP minister Vishwas Sarang demanded Kamal Nath publicly disclose who was "running the government from behind the scenes," while asserting that Mr Scindia had no personal ambition and joined the BJP without bargaining for power.

Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla, however, countered that the government fell solely due to Mr Scindia's "excessive ambition and hunger for power."

The Congress had formed government in December 2018, winning 114 seats against the BJP's 109, with support from the BSP, SP, and independents. But in March 2020, Mr Scindia quit Congress and joined the BJP along with 22 loyalist MLAs, reducing the Kamal Nath government to a minority.

On 20 March 2020, Mr Nath resigned, paving the way for the BJP's return to power.