Shivraj Singh Chouhan desperately wants to become the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh for the fourth time. But overthrowing the Kamal Nath-led Congress government would be the most undignified way for the three-time CM to come to power.
The palpable desperation to become the chief minister through underhand tactics shows how twisting people’s mandate and insulting the electoral process is acceptable but being out of power is not. For a leader like Chouhan, who is known to be humble, grounded and who enjoys massive popularity in his turf, this should frankly be more humiliating than a sign of victory for the BJP.
With the Kamal Nath government trying to buy itself some more time by averting the strength display in the assembly Monday, Chouhan swiftly moved the Supreme Court seeking an immediate floor test.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan — the beloved mamaji of Madhya Pradesh — is now an out-of-power, lonely leader who now has a fresh reason to feel insecure in the form of Congress-import Jyotiraditya Scindia. And this insecurity has now become more than apparent, even for a calm and measured leader like him.
Also read: Kamal Nath says ‘all is well’ as Congress looks to escape floor test in MP
The Chouhan of today
It isn’t easy to sit out of power when you have been in power for 13 years, and have been all-powerful in the BJP with no challengers.
It’s even more difficult when you lose the election by a mere whisker. What makes this worse is that a state you lose under your leadership goes on to become the one that your party sweeps in the Lok Sabha polls just six months later.
To add to it, you are reduced to just sitting in opposition in the state, waiting for the next election five years away and no hope for a national role. As if all of this wasn’t enough, a young, popular and charismatic leader from the rival side is brought in, creating the fear of a possible division of power centres and bringing in unwelcome competition.
For Shivraj Singh Chouhan, these factors have all bunched together to create a multiplier effect of insecurity, desperation and greed for power.
He was ferocious and competitive during his speech at the event to mark Scindia’s entry at BJP’s Bhopal headquarters last week. Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave a rousing, election speech rather than a welcome address. He called Kamal Nath names, made several allegations against the Congress government, but more interestingly, referred to Scindia as ‘Vibhishan’ — a traitor analogy which the ‘Maharaja’ of Gwalior is unlikely to find flattering.
In an interview to ThePrint last week, Chouhan evaded a question on whether he would become CM again, but his ambition and intention were made apparent by his remarks that the Kamal Nath government had lost its majority. He reiterated it Monday saying that even coronavirus emergency can’t save the Kamal Nath government.
In a way, Narendra Modi has been Chouhan’s contemporary. But while he managed to step out of his home state Gujarat and become the PM, Chouhan was left behind. Even Home Minister Amit Shah succeeded in breaking out of the state mould to become a national leader. For Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Madhya Pradesh is all he has, and Madhya Pradesh is what he needs to guard. The frantic desire to become CM through questionable means, therefore, overrides the political kick of acquiring that chair after legitimately winning an election.
Also read: MP assembly trust vote deferred: Will it save Kamal Nath govt or delay the inevitable?
MP’s much-loved mamaji
Shivraj Singh Chouhan may not be Modi, but in his home state, he has been the king. Chouhan is loved by his voters, and continues to enjoy pan-state popularity and goodwill.
When I travelled through Madhya Pradesh ahead of the 2018 assembly election, what stood out was how Chouhan was liked and respected even by those who said they will not vote for the BJP this time.
Unlike his counterparts — Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh and Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan — both of whom also lost in the 2018 December polls, Chouhan had little to worry about. He did not lose because he became unpopular, he lost merely because of this fatigue factor – rather than voter ire – with a three-term government.
Such is the strength of his image of being grounded that Scindia in his speech last week had to include his name in his ‘only Shivraj and I don’t use the AC in our cars’ statement.
For a leader of his stature, this desperate bid to become the chief minister by toppling an elected government is nothing but a fall from grace. More so, because it isn’t even as if he has used his political acumen to engineer the Congress rebellion. It was the Congress that caused its own downfall, and Amit Shah-esque brains of the party that are constantly ticking to make sure this becomes advantage BJP. Chouhan is merely trying to be an unintended beneficiary of this episode.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan might not become the chief minister immediately, but would show greater moral courage if he has the gumption to declare he would fight an election and win the people’s mandate instead of taking the chief minister’s chair as a sorry hand-out.
Views are personal.
I do not remember ThePrint being so concerned about democracy when the clear mandate to the BJP+SS alliance in Maharashtra was so rudely disrupted by the Shiv Sena.
The incumbent government does not enjoy popular mandate, yet is audacious enough to stop funds to important projects.
Madam Ruhi,
OPINION [Bold + Italics + Caps]
What you have pieced together is nothing short of ” Channelizing my inner demon” kind of article. The tilt and ache is for all to see.
Why did the ship sank- Not because of Mr Shivraj, but because of bipolar power center in MP. You had Diggi Raja, the tantrum king trying to promote his son. You had old hand of KN, trying to woo corporate houses for chanda to INC. [Mr KN, rich and influential, not many reader would know of his money bringing acumen from business houses].
Please, do not paint the fallout as mysterious trick by rivals, the fallout was happening and was for all to see.
But, in a democracy your opinion as good a mine, but mine isn’t published on a website. This is best example of the “Ashutosh” syndrome plaguing our media. Affection, ideological tilt and control-n- command are all too visible these days .
With hope for non-partisan reporting.
Average Reader
[Respected Mr Gupta Ji, i have watched 400 episode of NI and CTC, the paid subscription will not be successful until the dynasty goes or reporting resolves its issue, the links are transparent now, i know that you know what is going to happen first].
It’s time Ruhi takes charge of her feelings quits THE PRINT and strengthen hands of Congress by joining POLITICS
1. I do not know what is right and what is wrong in context of rebellion of Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh and political response to such a development. 2. I say that we have to look at the issues involved here in a non-partisan manner. It is obvious that all political parties take undue advantage of lacuna in the prevailing law, whether it is about defections or about formation of governments with support of a group of MLAs who were known political adversaries earlier. This is what has happened in Maharashtra. 3. I do not think that any Court of law can decide what is good and what is bad in situations in Madhya Pradesh now or with regard to formation of government in Maharashtra. 4. Power-driven political activities will create more problems like the one in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. 5. Time has come for citizen-voters to take initiative to minimize corruption and use of unaccounted money in power-driven political activities. 6. Incidentally, I think it is time we review the prevailing election system, ‘First Past the Post or FPTP’, which is followed in our country for declaring a winner in elections. 7. This system is defective in situations when there are so many candidates in fray and a winning candidate secures as low as 20% of votes.
Ruhi Tiwari had no such moral questions when Congress and NCP lured Shiv Sena to form the Govt. in Maharashtra. That time she did not ask these parties to go for a fresh mandate. Its not the duty of opposition to keep ruling party herd together. Another question is – why it happens with congress party primarily and not with other parties ? Being in power all the time or properly rewarded for support is the main objective of congress legislators.
He will not contest elections again as he know bjp will loose due to horse trading , Shivraj singh will not be called at centre level because he can be 2nd fiddle to Modi besides Amit Shah , which neither Modi and nor Amit Shah would like .
Schindia will face same competition which he face while Congress as Shivraj Singh has already mentioned him as Vibhishan .
After senior leaders like Kamalnath and Digvijay Schindia would be the CM candidate for congress but he left .
Strange from day one after MP state elections shivraj Singh was wandering in street day & night dreaming of becoming CM again. What a shame after serving 15 years he wants to become CM again by purchasing MLAs from other party.
Congress implodes…. and this author blames BJP for it ….. look at Kamal Narh Govt….. unable to face the Assembly for a “Confidence Vote”…. and pmaying games with The Assembly…. which does nit even belong to him or the Congress… but TO THE PEOPLE TO GO THERE AND DO THEIR JOB FOR WHICH THEY ARE PAID…. TO WORK AND SERVE THE PEOPLE….
Did I miss something here???
THE PRINT is nothing but a mouthpiece of the Congress.
Whatever developments that are happening against the Crooked Congress regime is a blessing for the future of India
So lutens media please wake up & change ur media strategies.
What is so undignified in snatching power from Kamal Nath as the writer says here ? Ruhi ji ” ye politics hai, yaha khurai cheene jaati hai, dee nahi jati”. It is not the duty of Shivraj Singh Chouhan to ensure that Kamal Nath govt completes it’s term. The Congress rebels campaigning in Bengaluru are the loyalists of Scindia and have said more than once that they are in Bengaluru out of their own will and have also sent their resignation letters to the speaker. If any opposition leader gets a chance like this it will be foolish of him to let it go. It seems the Congress mouthpiece Shekhar Gupta and his cohorts at The Print can’t digest the fact that Congress will lose MP very soon. So third time in last 3 days The Print is trying to see meaning into the word Vibhishan used by Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Ruhi ji please remember in MP BJP has got 1%more votes than the Congress. If you are OK with the way Congress which was at 3rd position in Maharashtra, snatched power by going with its ideological enemy the Shiv Sena, to keep BJP out, then why should have any objections and call names to Shivraj Singh Chouhan whose responsibility is to bring his party in power in the state? And stop calling Shivraj Singh names. The people of MP love him as much as you hate.
Money matters so also power sans ideology.BJP with money bag from honest HMis the alluring factor for even a Maharaja.
Ruhi has forgotten a word that is fair in love and war alike.
From when toppling with money bag and power has become brainy work. Instead of taking on such leaders head on, why such build up of leaders playing the dirty game. If toppling is legitimised, why elections every 5 years, why not ruling and opposition parties play toppling game, just exchange MLA’s.
Your should learn how opposing forces work in stock market where only money and only is involved. In ideal democracies elected representatives should be free to choose their leader. Toppling governments in democracies is legitimate if no laws are broken.
“Toppling governments in democracies is legitimate if no laws are broken.” – not true. Bribing opposition MLAs, kidnapping them, forcing them to resign, are not legitimate, although could be legal, if not proved otherwise. But then what is legal is not always right. BUYING OPPOSITION MLAs TO TOPPLE AN ELECTED GOVERNMENT IS NOT DEMOCRACY..
India should be one party system, Congress must be disbanded
Vipaksha mein paanch saal bahut mushqil se guzarte hain. In a more collegiate system of politics, Shri Chouhan would have been a prominent Cabinet minister in Delhi. It is in fact a measure of some mellowing in the Centre that he would be permitted to become CM once again, now that a vacancy has arisen. It is men like him who will be needed in 2024.