While the MP Congress led by Kamal Nath is planning to give a big political jolt to the ruling BJP ahead of the Assembly polls due later this year, Joshi, who has been angry over not being given active role in the state politics despite being a senior BJP leader, is likely to grab this opportunity to flourish his political career in the Congress.
Sources said that a group of senior Congress leaders and Deepak Joshi held a close door meeting a few days ago, however, negotiation was yet to reach any conclusive step. Meanwhile, the Congress leadership also feared facing disappointment within its own faction, especially from the local party leaders of Dewas district.
"Joshi does not just want a ticket for the Assembly polls but wants to play a big role. Like his father, he has a clean image and his shifting to the Congress will undoubtedly be a big political jolt for the ruling BJP. At the same time, some senior BJP leaders also tried to convince him to stay with the party, however Joshi's rift with CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan continues," a senior Congress leader told IANS on condition of anonymity.
Last week, when a group of farmers of his home district, Dewas, staged a protest against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government, Joshi had not only justified the protest but he had also addressed the gathering. However, speaking with IANS, he said, "People of Bagli and Hatpipliya constituencies are like my family members and if they have any problem, it is my duty to stand with them. My father was a clean politician and I am following in his footsteps. I was made to sit at home for the last few years without any reason."
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]When asked about his further political step, he did not say much, but added, "See, I am made to sit at home for the last few years. I have to make decisions in the interest of people who have faith in my family."
As per the sources, Joshi was sidelined after he raised his voice against corruption in Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Dewas district. "Whenever I raised this matter before, some leaders from my own party (BJP) accused me of playing politics and raising voice against the BJP government. But I kept raising this matter because my father won elections from the Bagli constituency eight times and people have faith in us. At present, this constituency is reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) but people still come to me whenever they have any problem," Joshi added.
Getting no response from the state leadership on his complaint, Joshi had then written to the Central leadership of the BJP and following which, Lokayukta of Madhya Pradesh in December last year had booked 45 officials and employees in different departments for allegedly misusing funds meant for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Dewas district. A police investigation had revealed that the nexus has been operating for the past few years, embezzling several crores of rupees by creating fake bills.
Joshi (60), who won three Assembly polls from Bagli (2003, 2008) and Hathpiplia (2013), also served as a minister of technical education and skills development, and of school education in Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet. He lost the election in 2018 against the Congress. His father, Kailash Joshi, was the ninth Chief Minister (June 24, 1977 to January 18, 1978) of Madhya Pradesh when he was a member of the Janata Party. He died on November 24, 2019.