Centre diverting attention from economic slowdown: Kamal Nath

‘Anything that is divisive, Madhya Pradesh will not do it,’ says CM on new Citizenship Act.

December 13, 2019 10:29 pm | Updated 10:29 pm IST - NEW DELHI

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. File

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath. File

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Friday alleged that the Union government was resorting to “divisive politics and politics of distractions” to divert attention from the economic slowdown.

“Anything that is divisive, we will not do it. The stand of the Congress in any law that divides society will be the stand of the Madhya Pradesh government,” Mr. Nath said in response to questions by reporters on whether the State will follow other Opposition ruled States like West Bengal, Kerala and Punjab that have talked of not implementing the new Citizenship Act.

Mr, Nath said the Centre should have convened a meeting of Chief Ministers before introducing the Citizenship Amendment Bill.

‘Politics of distraction’

“The worst part is the politics of distraction, changing the orbit of people’s imagination. Every time there is an economic slowdown, a Bill is introduced, a decision is taken to distract people,” he said.

Asked about the stability of his government, he said, “Madhya Pradesh is not Karnataka. Before Karnataka, they had tried the same tricks of buying and selling MLAs, but they failed.”

He denied there was any dissent within the Congress and said the party was “cohesive.”

The Chief Minister, who was also a former Parliamentary Affairs Minister, said though there was little coordination between Opposition parties, there was a need to form a common strategy.

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