Do BJP leaders' wives sell jewellery to bear poll expenses? asks Kamal Nath

Chhindwara: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on Sunday asked whether wives of BJP party leaders sell their jewellery to bear the party's excessive election expenses.

"I want to ask Modi Ji - the money spent on MP Assembly elections and his plane rides, the money being spent on the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, from where do they (BJP leaders) get the money? Are the wives of BJP leaders selling their jewellery to bear the expenses of elections?" Kamal Nath told reporters here.

The MP Chief Minister has been frequently figuring, directly or indirectly, in speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his election rallies.

Earlier this month, the Central Board of Direct Taxes had claimed that unaccounted wealth of around Rs 281 crore was recovered in raids carried out by the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax department at premises linked to close associates of Kamal Nath.

After visiting Simariya Hanuman Temple with his son Nakul Nath here, he said that he was a religious person but did not "misuse" it in elections.

"We all are religious but we don't use or misuse religion. We don't bring religion on the political platform," Kamal Nath said.

He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to divide the society on religious lines during the elections.

The Chief Minister slammed the saffron party for fielding Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur from the Bhopal Lok Sabha constituency.

The Congress leader said, "By declaring Sadhvi Pragya as its candidate, BJP is trying to send a message that it is the contractor of Hindutva. The BJP does not have a tender of Hindu religion."

While Kamal Nath is seeking election to the state Assembly from Chhindwara seat, his son Nakul is Congress candidate from Chhindwara Lok Sabha seat.

Both Chhindwara Assembly and Chhindwara parliamentary constituencies vote on April 29. Counting of votes will take place on May 19.