Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath made the episode light-hearted and showed a united face (File)
Bhopal:
Ahead of the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Congress equated its state president Kamal Nath and senior leader Digvijaya Singh with “Jai” and “Veeru” from the iconic film “Sholay”, played by Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra. The comparison by Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala sparked a backlash from the BJP, which called the two ‘jail escapees’ and deceitful.
Actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra played the roles of two friends Jai and Veeru respectively in the 1975 blockbuster Sholay. In the film, the two friends escape from jail and are later hired by a retired police officer to take on Gabbar, a dreaded bandit.
When asked about the bond between Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh, Surjewala drew the analogy from Sholay.
“The relationship between them is the same as between Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan (in Sholay). Neither ‘Gabbar’ (the villain of the film) could get them into a fight (in the film), nor will Gabbar of the BJP be able to get it .done here,” Surjewala told reporters in Bhopal.
Mr Surjewala was asked about the change in candidates for some seats and the apparent differences between Mr Singh and Mr Nath over ticket distribution in the state.
The Congress leader claims that there is a huge conflict going on within the ruling BJP over the distribution of tickets. He said his party has decided where ticket changes are required and the issue is now over.
“They (BJP) say such things every day to show their irritation. What is the BJP’s problem with our party? There is love and coordination between Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath and all our leaders. This is for the development and progress of Madhya Pradesh,” he said.
Reacting to Mr Surjewala’s statement, BJP spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said the comment showed that the two Congress leaders resemble the “deceptive characters of Jai and Veeru, who have escaped from jail”.
“These were movie characters who escaped from prison. The same is true of the plight of Mr. Bantadhar (as the BJP calls Digvijaya Singh) and Corruption Nath (for Kamal Nath) in Madhya Pradesh. They have looted Congress workers and the general public whenever they were fined. No one was spared by these two,” Mr Chaturvedi said.
Earlier this month, a video of Kamal Nath surfaced in which he allegedly asked party members to ‘tear’ Digvijaya Singh’s clothes after a Shivpuri leader was denied a ticket. This led to talk of a rift in the party over candidate selection.
However, the former chief ministers tried to make light of the event and put on a united face. The BJP on Friday again alleged that Mr Singh distanced himself from the campaign following the “dispute” over ticket distribution.
While BJP used the video to target Congress, Kamal Nath clarified that his relationship with Mr Singh was not purely political.
The elections to the state’s 230 seats will be held in a single phase on November 17 and counting of votes will take place on December 3.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
