The visit of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to New Delhi on Sunday – for the second time in a week – has triggered speculations on internal tussle in the BJP over allocation of portfolios to ministers in the recently expanded state cabinet.
Though the official agenda of the visit was to meet three Union ministers, Chouhan also met BJP national president J.P. Nadda for over an hour on Sunday. This gave some ground to speculations that the chief minister had decided to get the issue on portfolio distribution, emerging out of demand for specific departments by Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia for his loyalist ministers, resolved by the central leadership. Besides, Chouhan has also met Home Minister Amit Shah, giving further credence to speculations that portfolio allocation is in the agenda of the CM's Delhi visit.
However, even before meeting Nadda, Chouhan told journalists that tussle over portfolio allocation was merely a media speculation and that 'all was well' on that front. He said departments will be distributed to ministers once he was back in Bhopal on Monday.
There are, however, reasons for speculations on internal tussle over portfolios. The long-awaited expansion of cabinet came on July 2, but the portfolio allocations that normally come the same or next day are yet to happen. That the BJP had enough time to think on portfolios while deciding the list of ministers is also putting a question mark on this delay.
Sources claimed that the point of contention is the demand put forward by Scindia that certain departments that have direct connection to the people should be given to his loyalist ministers. These departments include health, education, food and civil supplies, urban administration, energy, women and child development, commercial tax and even transport and tourism.
Scindia reportedly feels that holding charge of such departments will give his supporters the leverage needed to win the crucial by-polls that might come up soon.
However, Chouhan, who is already facing the heat for having to leave out several prominent BJP MLAs from the cabinet, wants to give the ministers from BJP's old guard some important departments. The CM is said to have decided to put the ball in the court of the central leadership so that there is no flare-up in the state unit of the party.
Meeting with Union ministers
Meanwhile, the chief minister met three Union ministers –Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Power Minister R.K. Singh—during his visit to Delhi, apart from Shah.
During meeting with Rajnath Singh, Chouhan put forth the demand of opening of an Army school in Chambal division (Bhind/Morena districts) of Madhya Pradesh. He said the land for this purpose has been identified by the state government.
At Chouhan's request, Paswan assured to include the remaining 6.45 lakh metric tonnes of wheat procured by the MP government last year into the Central pool so that farmers could get paid for it. The Union minister also assured that all migrant workers who had returned to the state will get free ration till November, irrespective of availability of ration cards. The CM informed the minister that about 1.90 lakh of the 13 lakh who returned did not have ration cards, a MP government communique said.
During a meeting with R.K. Singh, the issue of inauguration of Rewa mega solar power plant – the biggest in India – was discussed.
