Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday said that it was political strategist Prashant Kishor who had approached the Congress party with his presentation on poll strategy and not the other way around.

Baghel made the comment during an interview with The Hindu. The newspaper had asked if Kishor’s decision to not join the Congress was an insult to the party.

“He [Kishor] came to us [Congress], we did not go to him,” Baghel said. “Kishor wanted to show us a presentation, which we all saw. And I believe he decided to knock at our doors because the country needs the Congress today.”

The remarks by the senior Congress leader come two days after Kishor declined to join Congress as a member of its Empowered Action Group 2024. The group is meant to address the political challenges for the party ahead of the 2024 General Assembly elections.

The political strategist had said that the Congress needs leadership and a collective will to fix its “deep-rooted structural problems” through reforms.

Kishor conducted a successful campaign for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and has had stints with many political parties since then.

During Thursday’s interview, Baghel told The Hindu that it was Kishor’s decision whether to join the Congress or not.

“And it is up to the party to consider his recommendations or not,” Baghel said. “There is nothing more to it.”