Digvijay ends 10-year-exile, files nomination for Rajya Sabha seat

BHOPAL: Ending his 10 years of self-imposed political exile, Congress party general secretary and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Digvijay Singh filed his nomination for Rajya Sabha from MP at the state assembly premises on Tuesday. Singh was accompanied by senior leaders of the state Congress and his supporters.

After filing his nomination, Singh said party wanted him to continue working for organization and hence decided to send him to the Upper House.

As many as 30 Congress leaders proposed his name as he filed three sets of nomination papers before returning officer Rajkumar Pandey, principal secretary, MP Assembly, around 1.55 pm.

Earlier, Singh left his Shamla Hills bungalow in an SUV driven by his son and MLA from Rajgarh, Jaiwardhan Singh. He first went to Pradesh Congress Committee office where leader of the opposition in MP Assembly Satyadeo Katare and state party chief Arun Yadav welcomed him. Accompanied by them Singh left for Vidhan Sabha.

Later talking to reporters after filing his nomination, Digvijay said, "I had requested party to suggest me a Lok Sabha seat and relieve me of organizational duties so that I can start working in the constituency. Party, however decided to send me to Rajya Sabha, saying I should continue to work for the organisation."

When he was reminded about criticism of BJP for taking "a back-door entry" into the Parliament, 67-year old Congress leader said, he has always been at the receiving end of the saffron party. "The BJP criticized me when I was an MLA, a minister and when I became the state Congress president and chief minister".

"I was even criticized, when I was nothing", he said with a loud laugh.

However, he reiterated, "I can still contest Lok Sabha election if party wants me to do so."

Singh said he agreed to take a Rajya Sabha nomination as he is an organization man and always wanted to devote maximum time to it. Singh also said that as a member of Rajya Sabha, he was prepared to offer all assistance and support to BJP government for development of the state.

He hastened to add, he would not stop attacking on the BJP government in the state for its scams.

When asked to react about melody queen Lata Mangeshkar sharing dais with Narendra Modi on the occasion of the completion of 51 years of the popular patriotic number "Ai mere watan k logon", Singh said that "Lata ji is such a tall personality that her name cannot be associated with any political party."

There were three vacant seats in Madhya Pradesh, two will go to BJP while one to the Congress on the basis of strength of respective parties in the Assembly.