The controversy over inauguration of a government trauma centre has snowballed into a major political controversy. After a BJP MLA forcibly cut the ribbon, a day ahead of a similar event scheduled by Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia in Ashoknagar, the latter re-inaugurated the centre on July 23. Seeing an opening, the BJP pounced, claiming that Scindia insulted MLA Gopilal Jatav, who hailed from the dalit community.
With BJP vociferously tagging Scindia as anti-dalit, the past three days of the Congress leader were spent explaining a statement that he had never given in the first place. He even submitted a challenge that if BJP could prove the statement attributed to him, he would quit Lok Sabha.
BJP burnt Scindia's effigies saying he insulted dalits, even as the latter moved a privilege motion in Lok Sabha and a defamation notice against the state BJP chief.
On Monday, Scindia, while touring his constituency in Ashoknagar, inaugurated a trauma centre. BJP MLA Gopilal Jatav claimed to have sanctioned the centre.
A day before Scindia could actually perform the inauguration, Gopilal Jatav, along with his supporters, went to the site and placed a stone-plaque with Jatav's name, proclaiming that the trauma centre was inaugurated by him. Scindia's supporters did not take too well to the move.
Scindia's supporters, including a dalit leader Amit Tanware, declared that they will not accept the inauguration. He said that “they would arrange for another inauguration and purify the area with ganga jal". Tanware's statement kicked off a political storm across the state. On Sunday, BJP’s Anusuchit Jati Morcha passed censure motion against Scindia.
Tanware, an office-bearer of Congress party, was quickly expelled from the party for making irresponsible statement. Later, Scindia inaugurated the road with a new stone-plaque carrying the names of BJP MLA and himself.
The next day, when Scindia went to inaugurate the centre, he profusely praised MLA Jatav. He said, “Our MLA is good person who has had a long-standing relations with my family. But he has been misguided by his top leaders in Bhopal.”
While Scindia made this statement, the BJP leadership in Bhopal, particularly state president Nandkumar Chouhan, said that ‘’Scindia has insulted dalit community and should be taught a lesson’’. He announced that effigies of Scindia would be burnt all over state.
BJP said that Congress MP has insulted dalits by objecting to the inauguration of trauma centre at Ashok Nagar by BJP MLA Gopilal Jatav. It said that his statement to get the hospital cleaned by ganga jal was a an insult to dalits.
“BJP has planned a strategy to defame Scindia as he is emerging as a strong leader of the Congress, effectively challenging BJP rule,” said Congress spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi.
In the state, BJP president Chouhan himself sat on dharna in Ashoknagar, the constituency of Scindia. At the same time, two dalit BJP MPs—Virendra Kumar and Manohar Utwal—raised the issue in the Parliament.
Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “The BJP is creating a issue out of air. They should listen to my speech. In fact, they want to hide the atrocities on dalits in Madhya Pradesh by making an issue out of nothing.”
Scindia, on the same day, issued a defamation notice to Nandkumar Chouhan. The notice, issued from Delhi, mentioned the whole sequence of events. It said that Chouhan was maliciously spreading lies in a ploy to malign him.
In Parliament, Scindia, while moving privilege motion against two MPs, even challenged BJP to prove that he has given the said speech insulting dalits. Scindia said that he will resign from Parliament if he is proven wrong. Otherwise, the BJP leaders who made the false allegations should resign.
