Kamal Nath | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Nath in 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18thChief Minister of Madhya Pradesh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 17 December 2018 – 23 March 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | Anandiben Patel Lalji Tandon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Shivraj Singh Chouhan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Shivraj Singh Chouhan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17thLeader of the Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 17 July 2020 – 28 April 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Gopal Bhargava | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Govind Singh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member ofMadhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 10 June 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Deepak Saxena | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Constituency | Chhindwara | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Constituency | Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1946-11-18)18 November 1946 (age 79) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Indian National Congress | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 (includingNakul Nath) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence |
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| Alma mater | St. Xavier's College, Kolkata (B.Com) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source:[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kamal Nath (born 18 November 1946;Hindi pronunciation:[kəməln̪aːt̪ʰ]) is an Indian politician who served as the18th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh from 2018 to 2020 and resigned after apolitical crisis. He was the Leader of the Opposition in theMadhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly from March 2020 to April 2022.[1][2]
As a leader of theIndian National Congress he has served as theMinister of Urban Development. He is one of the longest serving and most senior members of theLok Sabha, thelower house of India'sbicameralParliament.[3] He was appointed thePro TemSpeaker of the16th Lok Sabha.[4] He has been elected nine times from theChhindwara Lok Sabha constituency ofMadhya Pradesh.[5][6] Nath was elected president of theMadhya Pradesh Congress Committee in May 2018, leading the party in the November–December2018 assembly election.[7] He assumed the office of Chief Minister on 17 December 2018 and resigned on 20 March 2020 due to lack of majority in government.[8] He was elected as MLA of Chhindwara in 2019 after Deepak Saxena vacated his seat.
Kamal Nath was born inKanpur in a merchant family.[9] His father Mahendra Nath established firms involved with exhibition and distribution of films, publishing, trading power transmission.[10] Kamal is analumnus ofThe Doon School.[11] Later, he graduated inCommerce fromSt. Xavier's College, Kolkata.[12]
Nath was first elected to the7th Lok Sabha in 1980.[13] He was re-elected to the8th Lok Sabha in 1984, the9th Lok Sabha in 1989, and the10th Lok Sabha in 1991.He was inducted into theUnion Council of Ministers asUnion Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment and Forests in June 1991.[14] From 1995 to 1996 he served asUnion Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Textiles.[15]
Nath was elected to the12th Lok Sabha in 1998 and the13th Lok Sabha in 1999.[16] From 2001 to 2004, he was the General Secretary of theIndian National Congress (INC).[17] He was re-elected to the14th Lok Sabha in the2004 elections and served asUnion Cabinet Minister of Commerce and Industry from 2004 to 2009.[18]
On 16 May 2009 he was re-elected to the15th Lok Sabha and re-entered the Cabinet, this time asUnion Minister of Road Transport and Highways.[6] In 2011, as a result of a cabinet reshuffle, Nath replacedJaipal Reddy as theMinister of Urban Development.[19]
In October 2012 Nath was confirmed to theMinistry of Parliamentary Affairs in addition to his current role as Minister of Urban Development.[20]
In late 2012 Nath replacedPranab Mukherjee to help theUnited Progressive Alliance (UPA) government win a crucial debate onforeign direct investment in India (FDI).[21] Nath also replacedMinister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh as anex officio member of thePlanning Commission in December 2012.[22]
From 4 to 5 June 2014 Kamal Nath was the only member to have taken the official oath as a member of the newly elected 16th Lok Sabha, and was made the Pro Tem Speaker. The first day of the Lok Sabha, on which the Pro Tem Speaker normally administers the oath to all other elected members, was interrupted by the death of Union Cabinet Minister of Rural DevelopmentGopinath Munde. The House was adjourned after paying tribute to Munde and observing a two-minute silence. Since no other elected member had taken the oath that day, they were not officially members of parliament.[23]
On13 December 2018, Kamal Nath was elected as theChief Minister of Madhya Pradesh after theINC emerged as the single largest party with 114 seats.[24] His chief ministership was cut short following the decision ofJyotiraditya Scindia to join the BJP and resign from the INC. Other MLAs loyal to Scindia also resigned from the INC and their MLA posts. This led to the2020 Madhya Pradesh political crisis which in turn resulted in the resignation of Nath as chief minister on 23 March 2020. Nath's replacement,Shivraj Singh Chouhan, was sworn in aschief minister of Madhya Pradesh on 23 March 2020.[25]
On 28 April 2022, Kamal Nath stepped down from his position as Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly.[26]
Kamal Nath is a member of the INC (Indian National Congress) political party and served as general secretary from 2001 to 2004.[27]
Nath has close ties with theNehru–Gandhi family, being young friends and schoolmates withSanjay Gandhi at theDoon School, an independent boarding school located inDehradun.[28]
Kamal Nath serves as president of the board of governors for The Institute of Management Technology (IMT), a management institution.[29]
He is Chairman of "Madhya Pradesh Child Development Council" and Patron to the Bharat Yuvak Samaj (Youth Wing of All India Bharat Seva Samaj).[30]
Kamal Nath, as theMinister of Commerce and Industry, played a pivotal role in the formulation and implementation of India's National Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) during his tenure. This policy aimed to boost India's share in global trade and foster an export-friendly environment through innovative schemes such as theFocus Product Scheme (FPS) andFocus Market Scheme (FMS),[31] introduced in 2006 under the Foreign Trade Policy 2004-2009. These schemes provided exporters with financial benefits like duty credits and helped target specific products and markets with export potential. India merchandise exports increased from $63.84 billion in 2003-2004 to $314.40 billion in 2013-2014.[32]
Nath is a strong proponent of economic development in India. At theWorld Economic Forum (WEF) Davos, Switzerland in 2011 Nath shared his views on improving market access for developing countries in the area of agriculture stating India's applied tariffs for exports in developed countries was very low. Nath claims that this is due to continued imports through schemes like EPCG (Export Promotion Capital Goods Scheme) where tariffs are not levied.[33]
Nath disagrees with the Tradeprotectionist outlook displayed among struggling countries and considers it to be the wrong response to a financial crisis.[34] He has pushed for stronger international co-operation in India, such as expanding on Indo-German relations. Nath stated for a mutually beneficial relationship with Germany to exist it must rely on using both countries' manufacturing strengths. He outlined focus areas of production including telecom, engineering, environmental technology, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and food processing, and renewable energy.[35] Kamal Nath describes India's entrepreneurial spirit and the countries' potential for global commerce growth in his bookIndia's Century.[36]
Nath emphasises the need for infrastructure development in India with projects like the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, a 90-billion-dollar industrial development project. The DMIC proposes major expansion of infrastructure and industry and aims to develop an industrial zone across six states in India.[37] Within the first five years of the project expectations are set at doubling employment potential, tripling industrial output, and quadrupling exports from the region.[38]
Kamal Nath advocates aPPP model on completing such ambitious projects like the DMIC and other infrastructure development projects. He references success with PPP models implemented in India's Metro operations.[39]
| Year | Description |
|---|---|
| 1980 - 1984 | Elected to7th Lok Sabha |
| 1984 - 1989 | Elected to8th Lok Sabha |
| 1989 - 1991 | Elected to9th Lok Sabha |
| 1991 - 1996 | Elected to10th Lok Sabha
|
| 1998 - 1999 | Elected to12th Lok Sabha
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| 1999 - 2004 | Elected to13th Lok Sabha
|
| 2004 - 2009 | Elected to14th Lok Sabha
|
| 2009 - 2014 | Elected to15th Lok Sabha
|
| 2014 - 2018 | Elected to16th Lok Sabha
|
| 2019 - 2023 | Elected to15th Madhya Pradesh Assembly
|
In 2007, during Kamal Nath's tenure as Commerce minister, an Empowered Group of Ministers that included Nath,Pranab Mukherjee, andSharad Pawar helped lift a ban on the export of non-basmati rice. It was alleged that PSUs involved in export of this rice to Africa outsourced the efforts to domestic private companies. It is claimed that the private companies made large profits while the PSUs reported small margins.[40]
He was charge sheeted in theHawala scandal and denied a ticket by the Congress itself in 1996, wherein he made his wifeAlka Nath stand for elections from theChhindwara (Lok Sabha constituency).[41]
On 1 November 1984, a day after Indira Gandhi's assassination, an anti-Sikh massacre broke out in Delhi as a result of which at least 2,733 people were killed by mobs. TheNanavati commission, led by a retired Judge of theSupreme Court of India, investigated the riots some 25 years after they happened but was unable to find surviving evidence. The commission found that the allegations of his involvement lacked sufficient evidence as of 2008–09.[42][43] Nath was not charged and he later stated that he was "fully absolved" by the Nanavati Commission.[44]
TheIncome Tax Department, an Indian government agency, conducted inspections at the properties of relatives and aides ofCM Kamal Nath in April 2019. The agency claimed detecting about₹281 crore in unaccounted cash, including₹20 crore paid to theCongress headquarters in Delhi throughhawala.Kailash Vijayvargiya tweeted about the estimation of the detected illegal cash before theCentral Board of Direct Taxes' statement on the raids, Kamal Nath's media coordinator Narender Saluja in turn said the raids were orchestrated to malign his party.[45][46][47]
While addressing a rally during the2020 Madhya Pradesh By-Election, Nath referred to MP cabinet ministerImarti Devi as 'Item' (colloquially considered as a sexually provocative word/objectification of women).[48] His comments were heavily criticised by several leaders and activists.[49] TheBharatiya Janata Party and theNational Commission for Women approached to theElection Commission of India to complain about the derogatory remarks against theScheduled Caste candidate and demanded to ban him from campaigning during the by-polls.[50][51]
On 30 October 2020, theElection Commission of India revoked the star campaigner status of Kamal Nath citing repeated violation ofModel Code of Conduct while campaigning for the elections.[52]
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| Year | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Opponent party | Opponent votes | % | Result | Margin | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Chhindwara | INC | 5,59,755 | 50.54 | Ch. Chandrabhan Kuber Singh | BJP | 4,43,218 | 40.01 | Won | 1,16,537 | 10.53 | ||
| 2009 | 4,09,736 | 49.41 | Marot Rao Khavase | 2,88,516 | 34.79 | Won | 1,21,220 | 14.62 | |||||
| 2004 | 3,08,563 | 40.89 | Prahlad Singh Patel | 2,44,855 | 32.45 | Won | 63,708 | 8.44 | |||||
| 1999 | 3,99,904 | 63.98 | Santosh Jain | 2,10,976 | 33.75 | Won | 1,88,928 | 30.23 | |||||
| 1998 | 4,06,249 | 57.1 | Sunder Lal Patwa | 2,52,851 | 35.5 | Won | 1,53,398 | 21.6 | |||||
| 1997* | 3,06,622 | 45.75 | 3,44,302 | 51.37 | Lost | -37,680 | -5.62 | ||||||
| 1991 | 2,14,456 | 55.98 | Chandrabhan Singh Chaudhary | 1,34,824 | 35.19 | Won | 79,632 | 20.79 | |||||
| 1989 | 2,11,799 | 50.14 | Madhav Lal Dube | JD | 1,71,695 | 40.65 | Won | 40,104 | 9.49 | ||||
| 1984 | 2,34,846 | 67.17 | Batra Ram Kishan | BJP | 81,021 | 23.17 | Won | 1,53,825 | 44 | ||||
| 1980 | 1,47,779 | 51.59 | Pratul Chandra Dwivedi | JP | 77,648 | 27.11 | Won | 70,131 | 24.48 | ||||
| Year | Constituency | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Opponent party | Opponent votes | % | Result | Margin | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Chhindwara | INC | 1,32,302 | 56.44 | Vivek Bunty Sahu | BJP | 95,708 | 40.83 | Won | 36,594 | 15.61 | ||
| 2019* | 1,14,459 | 55.53 | 88,622 | 43.00 | Won | 25,837 | 12.53 | ||||||
Kamal Nath was born in 1946 InKanpur to Mahendra Nath and Lila Nath. He has two sisters, Anita Puri and Rita Jolly.[53] He marriedAlka Nath on 27 January 1973 and has two sons,Nakul Nath and Bakul Nath.[54][55] The family has owned several successful businesses including real estate, aviation, plantations and hospitality.[56] Alka Nath and Nakul Nath have both been elected to India's parliament.[57][58]
| Lok Sabha | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forChhindwara 1980 – 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forChhindwara 1998 – 2019 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Union Minister of Commerce and Industry 23 May 2004 – 22 May 2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways 22 May 2009 – 18 January 2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Union Minister of Urban Development 19 January 2011 – 25 May 2014 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh 17 December 2018 – present | Incumbent |
| GE 2014 |
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|---|---|
| Bye-elections 2015 |
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| Bye-elections 2016 |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
