Central BJP Leaders Focusing On Madhya Pradesh To Retain Power After Assembly Poll

BHOPAL: BJP is resorting to virtual ‘ghero’ of Madhya Pradesh. Besides several small leaders, two stalwarts of the party chose to visit Madhya Pradesh almost at the same time. While home minister Amit Shah visited Chhindwara, stronghold of Kamal Nath for more than four decades, party president J. P. Nadda arrived in Bhopal.

During his day long visit, he addressed several meetings besides performing bhoomi pujan of the massive building which will house the BJP party state headquarter. This building is being constructed on the same land on which party’s earlier office was located. The proposed building will have eleven floors. The building will have most modern facilities. During his stay in Bhopal he addressed several meetings. Addressing one such meeting he said “What is the situation of the Congress party today? I do not want to take names but discussions are being held. Arrogance is huge and understanding so little. The Congress party is on a Satyagraha protest. Satyagraha is what Mahatma Gandhi did in 1906 in South Africa and in 1919 in India. For who did he practice Satyagraha? For the pride of India, so India could be ruled by Indians”.

He further argued, “But what is the Congress’ Satyagraha about? What is your pride? You are breaking the tradition of democracy. You have no faith in the law. Ati peechra jati suchak gali deto ho (you make cattiest slurs)? Said they are thieves. The court kept asking ‘Apologise, apologise, apologise’. Your arrogance grew so huge that you refused to apologise. Your membership is annulled and you are convicted. Rassi ja gayi, bal nahi gaya.”

Soon after he landed at the state hanger for his day’s visit to the state capital on Sunday morning, JP Nadda set a dual target for BJP workers. With assembly elections due in November this year, Nadda asked for a victory with ‘200 paar (200 +)’ seats out of a total 230 and 51% vote share.

“The way you welcomed me today with great enthusiasm, it has given a message for coming days. You have to transform this enthusiasm to a target and achieve 200 plus seats in the assembly elections.” He also set the goal of 51% vote share for the party. The ruling party’s focus is on attaining the 51% votes because in 2018 assembly elections the party secured 41.02% votes share against the Congress’ 40.89. And though the Congress’ vote share was slightly lower yet it managed to get five seats more than the BJP and formed a government with the help of BSP, SP and independents.

Significantly in the presence of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, union ministers Jyotiraditya Scindia and Narendra Singh Tomar and state party president V. D. Sharma, Nadda complained that there is a lack of team work among leaders.

While party president Nadda tried to plug loopholes in the state leaders union home minister Amit Shah launched blistering attack on state Congress chief Kamal Nath right in his stronghold Chhindwara. This happens to be the last standing fortress of the Congress party in Madhya Pradesh where the party holds all seven assembly seats and the lone Lok Sabha seat.

Chhindwara being a predominantly tribal and OBC populated district, the union home minister argued “When I have come to Chhindwara, I want to say that BJP is the lone party that has thought of paying respect to tribals and OBCs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid respect to the tribal societies across the country on November 15, 2021, when he observed the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda as Janjaitiya Gaurav Diwas. The Congress party always spoke of backward classes but did nothing for the benefit of OBCs.

Attacking Nath he said “I want to tell Kamal Nath that since you were given an opportunity (as CM) you should now give an account of what you did for the people of Chhindwara. He did nothing new. Instead Kamal Nath looted what Shivraj Singh Chouhan left in the government”.

Countering Amit Shah’s allegations Kamal Nath took to Twitter to respond to those accusations “Amit Shahji, fever from keeping bad company can be terrible”.

He targeted the incumbent chief minister of the state Shivraj Singh Chouhan in his tweet and said “I was hoping that you would come to Chhindwara and say some good things. But Shivrajji’s falsehood machine had made a big impression on you”.

On the charges of lack of development during his rule in the Madhya Pradesh he said in his tweet “You are asking me questions on development projects? You have probably forgotten that after masking a government out of horse-trading Shivraj Singh Chouhan is the chief minister and you are the union home minister. If any project has been stopped, then you should ask Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Prime Minister Modi to account for it”. The former chief minister tweeted. “The end of misrule is not very far away” Kamal Nath added.

As the MP assembly elections are scheduled by year end, the political tempo is picking up and more and more BJP meetings are being held attended by senior leaders to ensure that the party retains power in the next assembly elections. The central BJP leaders are keeping close watch on the performance of the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and they are apprehensive that the former Congress CM Kamal Nath has been in the campaign in an aggressive manner and the Congress organization has been revitalized in the recent weeks after Bharat Jodo Yatra. The battle lines are now drawn. (IPA Service)