After Baba, A ‘Bandit King’: Kamal Nath Seeks Former Dacoit’s Help To Win Bundelkhand

In 1982, Malkhan Singh, known as the "Bandit King," surrendered to the Congress government after living a life of crime in the ravines of Bhind.

Now, over four decades later, the Congress party has assigned the task of challenging the strongholds of the BJP in Bhind to 80-year-old Singh.

This will take place during the upcoming Assembly elections, and Singh recently joined the Congress party after being a member of the BJP.

Bhind is located in Bundelkhand, which consists of 26 Assembly seats. In the 2013 elections, the BJP won 20 seats while the Congress won six.

However, in 2018, the Congress managed to increase its seat count to 10, while the BJP's count decreased to 14.

Recently, the Congress welcomed Dhirendra Shastri, the head priest of Bageshwar Dham, in the village of Simariya in Chhindwara district.

This move was strategic as Chhindwara is the stronghold of state Congress president Kamal Nath. The Congress hopes to benefit from Shastri's significant following in Bundelkhand and his influential presence on social media.

After joining the Congress party, Malkhan Singh expressed his reasons for leaving the BJP.

He stated, "I was tired of the injustice in the BJP government. The deteriorating law-and-order situation and daily acts of atrocities angered me. No one was listening to the concerns of the people. Rapes and other atrocities were occurring regularly, making it unsafe for women to even go to the fields. If no one is willing to listen, then I will take matters into my own hands. I resorted to violence due to the atrocities. And now, the BJP is repeating the same kind of injustices".

Kamal Nath, the former Chief Minister and state Congress president, extended a warm welcome to Singh as he joined the party. Singh, known for his trademark handlebar mustache, made a bold promise to "sweep away the BJP" at the event.

Nath praised Singh as a guardian of Madhya Pradesh and acknowledged his decisions that protected the state's future.

Expressing his gratitude, Nath welcomed Singh to the party and urged him to spread the truth among the people of the state. Nath emphasised that standing by the truth would ensure the safeguarding of Madhya Pradesh's future.

Nath highlighted Singh's experience within the BJP, where he witnessed the ruling party's dominance in corruption, injustice, and atrocities.

In response to Singh's entry into the Congress party, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan took to X (previously Twitter) to share a video showcasing Singh's past as a dacoit.

Chouhan contrasted the past when dacoits and the government were in an alliance in Madhya Pradesh, emphasising that the present is marked by the rule of law in the state.

In reply, Nath tweeted, “Sir, today is the era when thieves, thieves, dacoits, rapists, murderers, all kinds of mafia, corrupt and rioters are all in BJP or are bathing in the holy Ganga by joining BJP. Yes, this is your definition of the rule of law in MP.”

Singh's life took a turn when he found himself entangled in a dispute over land belonging to a Ram Janaki temple.

This dispute escalated to the point where a police case was filed against him, leading Singh down the path of becoming a dacoit.

Singh and his gang were notorious in the Chambal region, with a staggering total of 94 police cases lodged against them.

These cases included charges of dacoity, kidnapping, attempted murder, and murder. At the time of his surrender, Singh had a bounty of Rs 70,000 on his head. Eventually, he settled down in Guna district with his wife, Lalita Rajput, who was elected as a sarpanch in 2022.

After surrendering, Singh's influence attracted the attention of various political parties.

He even contested the 1996 Assembly by-election in Bhind on a Samajwadi Party ticket, although he was unsuccessful in winning the election.

Singh campaigned for the BJP in the 2013 Assembly elections and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections alongside another former dacoit, Mohar Singh.

The BJP relied on their influence in the Bundelkhand region to sway voters.

Singh explained that he did not participate in Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s campaign "out of respect" during his time with the BJP.

He shared, "Maharaj ji was a highly respected figure back then. When I last met him, he asked me to join the Congress and leave the BJP. It's interesting how the tables have turned now that he has joined the BJP. I am not a VIP leader, just a common man."

The former dacoit became bitter in the BJP due to not being given any significant positions.

State BJP spokesperson Dr Hitesh Bajpai commented, "Malkhan is not a public leader. He is leading a retired life. He possesses the basic instinct that aligns with the Congress. Good luck to him. He has never held a prime position in the BJP. He joined as an ordinary citizen. We never favored him, and he did not fit in with the BJP."

Singh revealed that MP's Leader of Opposition Govind Singh convinced him to join the Congress.

He stated, "Govind Singh ji asked me to join the party. He spoke highly of Kamal Nath. I believe Kamal Nath has a clean image. At least he won't be like this government, which distributes dhotis, bindis, and slippers as handouts. Why don't they focus on building homes, creating jobs, and supporting our daughters' marriages?"

According to state Congress spokesperson K K Mishra, the party is currently not focusing on the role that Singh will play.

Instead, their main objective is to target the BJP strongholds in Bhind-Morena. Mishra also added that they believe everything is fair in love and war.

BSP's Bhind MLA, Sanjeev Kushwaha, expressed his opinion that Malkhan Singh will not have a significant impact in the upcoming elections.

Kushwaha stated that it is common for people to come and go during election time and that Singh, being a non-political person, will not make a difference.