Former Union minister Kamal Nath will be leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh assembly

BHOPAL: Former chief minister Kamal Nath will be the Congress’ leader of Opposition when the monsoon cum budget session starts from July 20. State PCC media cell chief Jeetu Patwari on Wednesday said that the veteran Congress leader who was Union minister for Parliamentary affairs between October 2012 to May 2014 will be the party’s LOP.
State Congress organisational vice-president Chandra Prabhash Sekhar said, “It has been decided that our state party president Kamal Nath will be LOP in the House. He was elected leader of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) after the assembly elections in 2018. A letter is being drafted and will be sent soon to the state assembly secretariat. Our chief whip will hand-over the letter to the state assembly secretariat.”
While Kamal Nath will lead the Congress opposition in the House, the party has also sent names of the business advisory committee members. The names sent for Opposition members of the business advisory committee are Kamal Nath, former ministers Dr Govind Singh, Sajjan Singh Verma, KP Singh, former speaker NP Prajapati and former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria.
After 2018 assembly elections, nine-times MP and former Union minister Kamal Nath was sworn-in as chief minister of the state on December 17. However, after 15 months of Congress regime, Jyotiraditya Scindia quit and joined the BJP and 22 party MLAs including six ministers followed him. This toppled the Congress government and Kamal Nath resigned from post of chief minister on March 20.
State assembly last gathered on March 16 when amid BJP’s demand of a floor-test, then Speaker NP Prajapati adjourned the House till March 26 considering the spread of coronavirus. Kamal Nath government fell on March 20 and thereafter, there has been no session of the state assembly. Coming Monday will be the first gathering of the assembly since the BJP’s return to power. The session has been scheduled for five days from July 20 to 24. Budget will be presented by newly appointed finance minister Jagdish Deora on July 21.