Ex-chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that he has no craving for any government post, declaring he was a moralistic person and was above all such positions.
Chouhan's assertion on Wednesday came as a clarification after a statement by leader of opposition Gopal Bhargava in Jhabua on Tuesday that Chouhan would return as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh after Diwali.
Bhargava’s statement raised political temperatures as it was seen as an indication that the BJP would attempt to topple the 10-month-old Congress government in the state.
Bhargava made the statement at a youth meet held in Jhabua—where bypolls are due—on Tuesday afternoon in presence of Chouhan. Later, on Tuesday evening, however, Bhargava told mediapersons that he said it merely as an electoral statement and no meaning should be read into it. He also said that the BJP did not have enough numbers (to try to dislodge the Congress government) and such matters were anyway decided by the party’s central leadership. “I am not authorised to speak on the issue,” Bhargava said.
When mediapersons pressed Shivraj Singh Chouhan on the issue on Wednesday in Indore, he asserted that he did not have craving for any post and if he wanted to be chief minister, he would have indulged in jod-tod (horse-trading) earlier. “My only post is within the heart of the electorate and I want to serve all the people of MP. Also, I want to contribute to the campaign of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build a magnificent India,” the three-time chief minister said.
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Chouhan also defended Bhargava’s statement saying that the leader of the opposition had spoken keeping in view public sentiments as the crowd at the youth meet was chanting mama,mama (the sobriquet by which Chouhan is known).
Meanwhile, state agriculture minister Sachin Yadav reacted to the statements, by saying that everyone had a right to dream and Gopal Bhargava was also dreaming. He added that Kamal Nath would continue as chief minister of Madhya Pradesh for a full five-year term.