BHOPAL: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, a rival of Jyotiraditya Scindia in Madhya Pradesh politics, on Sunday claimed "Rajas and Maharajas” sold themselves but tribal legislators showed the integrity of character. Addressing reporters in Dhar district, Singh claimed an offer of Rs 25-30 crore was made to 28 tribal MLAs who were elected from Congress (to change sides) but none of them, except one, was sold.


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“This is Congress. This is the character of tribals… Raja-Maharaja sold (themselves) but not tribals,” he said. The Kamal Nath-led dispensation collapsed in March 2020 after 15 months in power when several MLAs of Congress, most of them the loyalists of Union minister Scindia, joined the BJP, providing the muscle to the saffron party under Chouhan to seize power.


Queried on the delay by Congress in not declaring candidates for the upcoming MP assembly polls, Singh said there was consensus among Congress to see who are the nominees of BJP. "If the Congress were to field stalwarts on lines of BJP, this call will be taken by the Central unit," he added.


When asked about the possibility of Congress MLAs defecting after upcoming assembly polls, Singh said he prays to God that "no Scindia should come to the party now". Referring to the statement of BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya that he was finding it hard to believe that the party gave him a ticket, Singh said BJP leaders are afraid of contesting.


Singh was in Dhar district to take stock of preparations ahead of AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's scheduled visit on October 5 when she is scheduled to address a public rally at Mohankheda.