BHOPAL: A second leader in the state Congress party has spoken out that he is helpless and has no voice in the Kamal Nath government. After former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia , now it is former minister Ajay Singh who on Friday alleged that his voice is not being heard.

Addressing a youth convention in his Churhat assembly constituency in Sidhi district, the senior Congress leader on Friday said, “When everything is in the proper place and yet nothing is right. We imagined that we will work for development of the region, will be able to resolve the unemployment issue and expand irrigation facilities. But today no one listens to me.”

Speaking to TOI on Saturday, however, the senior leader explained, “That speech is being misinterpreted and taken out of context. I was in my assembly constituency and youth of the area and party workers arranged a meeting. It is very disheartening for them that there is a Congress government in the state and they are not being involved.”

Ajay Singh is four times MLA, former LOP and was a minister in the Digvijaya Singh government from 1998 to 2003. However, he lost the 2018 assembly elections from Churhat, a seat represented by his father and former chief minister Arjun Singh , before him. Singh also lost the Lok Sabha elections from Satna in 2014 by a small margin of 9,000 votes against BJP’s Ganesh Singh. In 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he was fielded from Sidhi but was defeated again.

“Congress workers in my constituency were hopeful that after being LOP, I would find a prominent place in the government when Congress comes to power. Lack of irrigation facilities and increasing unemployment are major issues here. They are disturbed that even after being in power, it is still like not being in power,” Ajay Singh explained.

“When I made that speech, I said that you (Congress workers) did not work hard on the field and I lost the elections. Now you expect me to help you and resolve the issues when I have no voice,” he added.

Earlier this month, former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia made headlines after he threatened to hit-the-streets against the Kamal Nath government if manifesto promises made by the Congress party before the 2018 assembly polls are not fulfilled.

Asked if Ajay Singh’s voice is not being heard by the Kamal Nath government, state PCC spokesman and chief minister Kamal Nath’s media convener Narendra Saluja said, “Ajay Singh is a very senior party leader and is highly respected in the organization. We need to find out in what context he made the statement. But everything he says is taken seriously by the Kamal Nath government.”

