Five days after she targeted Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan personally on the issue of liquor ban in the state, BJP leader Uma Bharti called a truce on social media, saying that Shivraj’s affection for her and her respect for him could never wane.
Chouhan also responded in the same tone, calling her a sister whom he respected a lot and who gave him affection not only as a sister but also as a mother.
“I made a mistake that I could not share this fact with you. Immediately after I shared the information that my communication with Shivraj ji was happening through the media, Shivraj ji called me on the phone. We had a 20 minutes long conversation and decided to hold a meeting soon to discuss all issues in a positive and conclusive way. Shivraj’s affection for me and the respect for him in my heart can never wane,” Uma tweeted on Saturday.
She also mentioned the possibility of her meeting Chouhan on Sunday as both will be in Orchha on the occasion of Ram Navami.
After a while, Chouhan responded on Twitter, saying “Uma Bharti ji is my sister. I have always respected her a lot. She is not only a political worker, but also a social reformer. She always works to take society in the right direction. Uma ji is not only an elder sister, I often get the motherly affection from her. I am always with her in all her social work and reform measures.”
Political observers feel that there has been a high-level intervention for the two leaders to present a united and cordial face after Bharti’s tirade and personal targeting of Chouhan over liquor ban issue. Bharti’s constant campaign against liquor to the extent of throwing a stone on a shop in Bhopal and then the personal attack on the chief minister was causing embarrassment to the party and had given the fodder to the opposition Congress to take a jibe at the ruling party.
The Twitter exchange between Bharti and Chouhan on Saturday came with reference to a series of former’s tweets on April 4 where Bharti expressed her pain on the fact that ‘Brother Shivraj' had stopped talking to her and is responding to her through the media. She has also made light of Chouhan’s recent statement that he would close down liquor shops if people stop drinking.
“I have had a relation of respect and affection with respected elder brother Shivraj Singh Chouhan ji from 1984 to March 2022. While going to the office or even if I was on a visit to the Himalayas or if he remembered any of my religious songs, Shivraj ji would meet me or call me on the telephone. During the past two years, during every meeting, I have discussed liquor prohibition with Shivraj ji. But now that the matter has come out in public, why has my brother stopped talking to me? Why is he speaking through the media?,” Bharti had tweeted.
Despite Bharti’s tirade, Chouhan had stuck to the stand that an awareness campaign for people to give up liquor addiction was a prelude to banning liquor. On April 4 too after Bharti’s personal attack on him, Chouhan had repeated this stand publicly, without any mention to her. Later that evening, Uma’s stand seemed to soften as she tweeted to express her happiness over Chouhan's decision to launch an awareness campaign. On Saturday, she seemed to call the final truce in the matter, getting a positive response from Chouhan.
