Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed regret at not being able to make some BJP leaders ministers in his cabinet, though his statement came in a lighter vein at the oath taking ceremony of the new state executive committee of the BJP in Bhopal.
Chouhan, while addressing the new office bearers, said that unlike the Congress, the BJP is not in government with the attitude of ‘what we will get’.
“Everyone will get some work to do and I want to thank state president (Vishnu Dutt) Sharma that though I could not make some (leaders) mantris [ministers], he has made so many mantris and mahamantris [secretaries and general secretaries]. Everyone has got work now,” the CM said, following it up with a laughter.
Despite the lighter tone, the chief minister’s statement gave credence to the reported disappointment and discontent among several senior BJP MLAs and ex-ministers who could not be inducted into the cabinet due to the influx of ex-Congress leaders.
Chouhan went on to say that the focus will not be on transfer-postings, rather it will be on working in a united manner to make the state BJP organization and Madhya Pradesh as a state the best in the country.
The CM also took a dig at the Congress, saying while the BJP organization in the state has got an enthusiastic and energetic new team under a young president, the old Congress is still dragging itself under Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh.
The new executive committee of the BJP, inclusive of 40 members, has as many as 29 totally new faces. Apart from five general secretaries appointed earlier, recently 12 each vice-presidents and secretaries, treasurer and joint treasurer, an office secretary and a media-in-charge were appointed along with heads of seven different cells.
Chouhan went on to reiterate that the BJP government in the state is a government of people and they will be protected while mafias will be buried deep.
Though Jyotiraditya Scindia, who was attending different functions in Gwalior on the day, was not present at the ceremony, the CM expressed gratitude to him for being instrumental in forming a government for resurrection of the state.
BJP state chief Sharma in his address reiterated that this team was a team of the BJP and not of himself. He said that the new office bearers should set personal examples by their behavior and attitude and should get ready with full enthusiasm for the upcoming civic bodies’ polls and the Assembly polls of 2023.
Later, a meeting of the new executive committee members was held at the BJP headquarters in the presence of Chouhan and BJP state organizing secretary Suhas Bhagat. During this meeting, the office bearers were reportedly asked to not indulge in any activity that might be detrimental for the image of the party. They were also asked to not engage too much in publicity and public receptions and also not make statements in the media and social media without having complete knowledge of some topic.
