High command throws weight behind Chouhan, takes leaf from Modi’s book

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who’s facing a challenge to his chair both from within and outside...

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who’s facing a challenge to his chair both from within and outside, can take comfort from the high command’s announcement that the Assembly elections will be fought under his leadership.

The dumper scam along with the recent string of losses in the bypolls had the Congress and Chouhan’s ambitious colleagues within the BJP sense an opportunity to dislodge him.

The party’s two-day conclave at Gwalior saw BJP president Rajnath Singh and general secretary (in-charge of MP) Ananth Kumar throw their weight behind Chouhan, whose image has taken a severe beating in the wake of allegations that his family took benefits from an industrial group in lieu of favours given by the state Government.

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Ministers and MLAs, however, were not as lucky as Chouhan. Kumar made it clear that while Chouhan will be the chief ministerial candidate, his ministerial colleagues and MLAs are still on trial. The party’s decision to back Chouhan is largely dictated by the fact that it has already changed Uma Bharati and Babulal Gaur as chief ministers since assuming power in four years.

The leadership’s threat to others was in response to the grievances of party office-bearers who said that ministers and MLAs were too busy lining up their pockets and had no interest in workers’ problems. With Gujarat elections fresh on their mind, where the party sacked non-performers and preferred fresh faces, no one in Madhya Pradesh is taking the leadership’s threat as empty.

Ministers and MLAs have been told, in no uncertain terms, that they will be kept under a watch over the next few months, especially because anger against incumbent candidates was one of the reasons behind the party’s losses in Khargone and Sanver.

Knowing well that the talk of development alone will not be sufficient to neutralise the anti-incumbency factor, the party has decided to go to town to project the alleged ‘injustice’ done to the state by the Congress-led UPA government.

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Targeting AICC chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the UPA’s policies had brought rich dividends for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. The party’s MP unit has also chalked out a plan to protest against central policies like reduction in quota of electricity, kerosene and ration. Chouhan will lead a delegation of MPs, MLAs and senior party functionaries that will call on President Pratibha Patil and submit a memorandum arguing that the Centre was biased against the BJP-ruled state.

Meanwhile, the BJP is holding a two-day ‘Chintan’ camp in Sanchi from Tuesday. To be attended by party’s National General Secretary Ramlal along with Ananth Kumar, besides senior leaders and chosen party workers, the meet is expected to give final touches to the strategy to be adopted for the Assembly elections, due later this year.