Bhopal: Should he contest the upcoming assembly polls, continue as chief minister — these are the questions Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been asking voters at public meetings lately, triggering a buzz in the state’s political circles and inviting barbs from the Opposition Congress that said these remarks show his “frustration” at not being declared the chief ministerial face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP has declared its candidates for 79 of the total 230 seats so far, fielding over half-a-dozen parliamentarians and even Union ministers, but Chouhan’s name is not among them.
Asked to comment, sources in the BJP, however, told ThePrint that Chouhan will contest the polls and that the party will announce his candidature in the coming days.
On Friday, Chauhan was at a public meeeting in Dindori district, where he addressed a gathering of tribals after performing bhoomi pujan of a project worth an estimated Rs 182 crore. During the gathering, he also distributed Rs 47.71 crore as bonus to 422 families, who collect tendu leaves, and transferred Rs 27.60 crore to 1.84 lakh tribal families.
“Batao, aaj aapse puch raha hu Dindori waasiyon, mujhe dil se immandari se batana. Main acchi sarkar chala raha hu ki buri sarkar chala raha hu? Toh ye sarkar aage chalni chahiye ki nahi…Mama ko mukhya mantri banna chahiye yaa nahi,” he asked.
(Tell me today, I am asking you, residents of Dindori, tell me honestly. Am I running a good government or a bad government? Should this government continue or not? Should I be made the chief minister again or not?)
Chouhan also asked those present if Narendra Modi should become the prime minister again, and whether BJP should come back to power in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
“Modi ji ko pradhan mantri banna chahiye yaa nahi…BJP ki sarkar fir se aana chahiye yaa nahi…toh aao mere behne aur bhaiyo, hum sankalp kare…ki jo hamara saath dega, hum unka saath denge.”
(Should Modi ji become the prime minister or no? Should the BJP government come back or not? My sisters and brothers, let us resolve to support those who support us)
Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath, reacting to the remarks, took to ‘X’ (previously Twitter) to suggest that Chouhan was trying to get the BJP to declare him its chief ministerial candidate in Madhya Pradesh.
“The Madhya Pradesh BJP’s frustration has peaked. First, Prime Minister Modi stopped taking the name of Shivraj Singh Chouhan and dropped him from the race of chief minister. In response to that, to put pressure on the Prime Minister, the CM first started asking the public whether he should contest the elections or not, and is now directly asking them whether Modi ji should become the prime minister again or not,” Nath wrote on X.
मध्य प्रदेश भाजपा में हताशा अपने चरम पर है। पहले प्रधानमंत्री मोदी ने मुख्यमंत्री शिवराज सिंह चौहान का नाम लेना बंद कर दिया और उन्हें मुख्यमंत्री की दौड़ से बाहर कर दिया।
इसके जवाब में प्रधानमंत्री पर दबाव बनाने के लिए पहले तो मुख्यमंत्री ने जनता के बीच यह पूछना शुरू किया कि मैं…
— Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) October 7, 2023
Asked about his comments, Chouhan said Friday that there is nothing unusual about him seeking the opinion of voters on whether he should contest the elections or not.
“Iska matlab bhai behen samajhte hai, aur mama ki pradesh ki janta jo ek parivaar hai wo samajhti hai. Chunao ladenge toh janta se puch ke hi toh ladenge. Hum puchte hai lade kya, nahi lade…toh janta kehti hai lado. Ye toh hamara parivar kaa rishta hai isko samajhne ke liye bohot gehri drishti chahiye,” he said.
(It means that they consider us as brothers and sisters, and the people of the state who are like a family understand this. If I fight elections, It’s not unusual for me to to contest after consulting the people. We ask them, should we fight or not…and the people say, fight. This is our relationship, and one requires a very deep vision to understand it)
State BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said Chouhan’s remarks were merely part of “non-political dialogue” with the electorate. “Election time is always a time of emotions and he (Chouhan) has a very good emotional connect with the electorate, so sometimes, it is a ‘non-political’ dialogue between him and the electorate,” Bajpai told ThePrint.
A state BJP leader who did not want to be named said it was Chauhan’s way to “express gratitude”.
“It is clear that the central leadership is looking beyond Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the CM of Madhya Pradesh, and maybe there are much better things awaiting him. But having been at the helm of affairs and being a CM for about 20 years, one is bound to be emotional and express their gratitude,” said the leader.
Also Read: To mollify disgruntled leaders, BJP top rung greenlights long-pending Shivraj cabinet expansion
‘Will be missed when I’m gone’: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
A day prior to his remarks in Dindori, Chouhan was in Ujjain to lay the foundation stone of the second phase of the Mahakal Lok corridor, which is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 242.3 crore.
While in Ujjain, Chouhan reportedly sought the guidance of religious leaders to uphold Sanatan Dharma. “Saints, I need your help to stay on the right path because the political roads are filled with chaos,” he said. “One does slip every once in a while. Many people sometimes will put you in a ‘chakkar’. So, I need your blessings to stay on the right path.”
He went on to add, “Many have come, many have gone, but they could not end Sanatan Dharma.”
Before that, in two separate instances, Chouhan had in his home district of Sehore sought people’s opinion on his candidature as chief minister.
On Tuesday, after performing bhoomi pujan of Pataleshwar Mahadev temple in Sehore, he had asked the gathering, “Chunao ladun ki nahi…arre batao ladun ki nahi ladun?”
(Should I contest the elections or not…tell me should I or should I not?)
And on 2 October, he reminded the people of Ladkui village in Sehore district, “Jab mein chala jaunga, tab yaad aaunga…aisa bhaiya milega nahi.”
(I will be missed when I am gone…you won’t find a brother like me)
During that same event, he identified himself as the ‘brother’ of 1.32 crore women who are beneficiaries of the state government’s flagship Ladli Behna Yojana scheme. “You all have seen the rule of Congress years. Tell me, was there ever such concern for the public? What used to happen? I am not running a government, I am running a family….”
“You all are my family,” he said.
On 26 September, the four-time chief minister also expressed gratitude for all principal secretaries of all departments and senior officials, thanking them for successfully implementing public welfare schemes, according to a statement issued to the CMO.
Referring to the formation of the BJP government in 2020, Chouhan thanked the officials for assisting him as he had single-handedly run the government during the Covid-19 period in the absence of a cabinet. The BJP had just returned to power after the collapse of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government which lasted only 15 months.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
Also Read: CM Chouhan’s apology to tribal man isn’t theatrics but challenge to Brahmin impunity