Scribe-turned-media advisor to Kamal Nath sans political background rising face in MP politics

Bhopal, Sep 8 (IANS) Former journalist Piyush Babele, who is currently heading Madhya Pradesh Congress media cell, has established himself as one of the key strategists in the team of former chief minister Kamal Nath.

Babele (41), who was appointed as media advisor of state Congress president Kamal Nath in January this year, has been a non-political rising face in Madhya Pradesh through his literary works and strategies to counter the ruling BJP.          

Recently, he has been awarded with ‘Pt. Nehru Shikhar Samman’ for his book titled ‘Nehru Mithak Aur Satya’. The award was presented by a panel of jurists associated with ‘Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Bal Sahitya Academy' during a programme in Jaipur (Rajasthan) on Wednesday. The academy has also awarded 16 others persons for their distinguished contribution in literature.

Notably, Babele was appointed as media advisor to Kamal Nath in January this year after former Congress media coordinator Narendra Saluja joined the BJP at a time when the Bharat Jodo Yatra was marching through the state. Beside, heading the state Congress media, Babele is also handling the social media accounts of Kamal Nath. 

With over two decades of experience in journalism with several national media organisations, Babele has established himself as one of the key strategists to Kamal Nath.

Sources told IANS that it was Babele’s plan to put banners projecting Kamal Nath as future Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on January 1.

However, a section of senior Congress leaders had then raised questions and debate over declaring Kamal Nath as chief ministerial face has started. There were resentments from some senior party leaders, however, Babele’s plan succeeded after former chief minister and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh had also made a statement that the Congress will contest the election under the leadership of Kamal Nath.

The former journalist, who claimed to be a follower of Gandhian ideology, has also authored the book ‘Congress and Rashtranirman ki Gaatha’, which elaborates the roles of Congress before and after independence and on the other side the boos also raises questions on BJP’s ideological body Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its leaders’ role for the same.

In his book, Babele has explained the role played by the contemporary Congress leaders and freedom fighters in making the nation free, including the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Lokmanya Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi.

However, the content of the 47th number page made BJP leaders furious, wherein he has questioned the role of contemporary RSS members, including its founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and V.D Savarkar.

In his book, Babele has put Savarkar and Pakistan’s founder Mohd. Ali Jinnah is in the same category. It has mentioned that “both Mohd. Ali Jinnah and Savarkar were against Congress’ ‘Bharat Chhodo movement’ (Quit India Movement)”.

“Jinnah demanded the formation of Pakistan on the basis of religion (Islam), and Savarkar too had demanded to make India a Hindu Rashtra. Therefore, both Jinnah and Savarkar had a similar hardliner ideology,” he writes in the book.

Babele also writes that Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, the founder of Jana Sangh was a “minister in Jinnah’s Muslim League in Bengal”.

He also writes that, “RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar went to jail in 1923 and at that time, he was in Congress and participated in Asahyog Andolan. Hedgewar left the Congress in 1925 and formed the RSS.”

He has also written a book in Hindi titled ‘Gandhi: Siyasat aur Sampradayikta (Gandhi: Politics and Communalism).

“I firmly believe that Pt. Nehru’s thoughts are crucial to protect our constitution and democratic structure of India. Through my literary works, I am trying to present facts about the Congress and Pt. Nehru at a time when Nehru-Gandhi’s ideology is being attacked by the RSS-BJP at peak of furiousness,” Babele said.