Borrowing a phrase from party colleague and chief minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said that he wanted to tell those (from the Congress) who were trying to tarnish the image of him and his supporters that “tiger abhi zinda hai” (tiger is still alive).
Scindia's reaction came while talking to media in Bhopal after the oath-taking ceremony of 28 new ministers inducted in Chouhan cabinet. Scindia has managed to get a big pie in the cabinet cake for his supporters as 11 of them have been given place in the 33-member cabinet.
Talking to the media, Scindia said that the Congress government of 15 months spread all kinds of corruption in the state and also went back on promises made to the electorate. “Walking the path of justice is our prime duty. Even if war is to wages in this path, Jyotiraditya Scindia will always be in the front row,” the newly elected Rajya Sabha member said.
He went on to say that he wanted to tell all those (from Congress) who have been engaged in tarnishing people's character for the past two months that the “tiger” is still alive.
The Madhya Pradesh Congress has been repeatedly painting Scindia and his supporters as “betrayers who put personal benefits before the welfare of the state” for the past three months.
Interestingly, Chief Minister Chouhan had used the same phrase (originally a spin-off on a Bollywood movie by the same name) when he addressed party colleagues while vacating the CM House after the BJP lost the 2018 Assembly polls. Chouhan had then indicated that he would be back to take charge.
While Chouhan's prediction has come true, he has got his powers truncated by none other than Scindia whose stamp is now clear on the MP government.
When asked as to who the original tiger was among Scindia and Shivraj, the MP replied 'both'.
While Scindia borrowed Chouhan's phrase, he now faces the tough task of getting his supporters to win the impending by-elections.
In all, 19 of Scindia's supporters and three other Congress MLAs had resigned in March this year to pave way for formation of the BJP government.
Scindia said all 24 seats will be won by the BJP as people of the state will give a reply to the corrupt and promise-breaker Congress government.
He also said that the cabinet expansion in the state was expanding the base of servants of people (jansevak) and he expected everyone to work for all the people of the state.
Meanwhile, reacting to his “tiger” remark, the MP Congress tweeted: “These days tigers are considering mere survival as an achievement”.
