Madhya Pradesh: CM Chouhan’s son Kartikeya gets into war of words with Congress

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s elder son Kartikeya Singh Chouhan has got into a verbal spat with state unit of Congress on Twitter after the opposition party used CM’s wedding anniversary post to mock the high price of domestic gas cylinders and to highlight the party’s promise of providing cylinders for Rs 500.

Kartikeya, 27, takes considerable interest in politics and there had been speculations ahead of 2018 Assembly polls that he was being groomed to contest polls. Though he stepped back after the BJP loss, he has again become active after returning to India following completion of his postgraduate law degree from University of Pennsylvania, USA, recently. He engages in political, social and sporting activities, especially with youth in his father's constituency. With BJP dissuading 'dynasty politics', the junior Chouhan has not talked about his political ambitions directly.

The contentious post from the MP Congress Twitter handle came on May 20. The party shared CM Chouhan’s May 5 video post that shows him talking to wife Sadhna Singh Chouhan as she prepares chutney on a grinding stone, with a woman in background making chapatis on a wood-fed traditional stove (chulha) from which smoke is emanating. In the post, the opposition party said, “Respected Mami ji (auntie in context of Chouhan’s popular sobriquet ‘Mama’), now your trouble of blowing the chulha is going to end soon because you will also get a gas cylinder for (Rs) 500 as soon as Kamal Nath becomes the chief minister.”

Kartikeya responded through an emotional post on May 21. He said “My mother stood behind my father as his strength for 32 years, became his support in happiness and sorrow, but Congress does not understand the sanctity of relationships, love; it sees politics in everything. And why not? After all, Congress leaders have little understanding of the word 'character'. Public service is the first duty for (my) father. He rarely gets time for the family, and he shares some such moments sometimes, but how low is the Congress thinking that it is targeting this, too, for political gains. Bajrang Bali, protect these beautiful moments of my parents from evil eyes.”

Few hours later, the Congress retorted with a long post referring to Kartikeya as ‘Yuvraj’ (prince). The post said “We all have respect for our parents. But, - Why don't you see the pain of those sisters and daughters in whose house the inflation given by your father has created a ruckus. When you were studying in America, your father's government was firing bullets at the children of farmers in Mandsaur.”

Further, the post questioned Kartikeya on different issues like why he couldn’t see the pain of youth who were getting overage waiting for recruitment, why he didn’t feel sorry for multitude of scams like Vyapam, e-tender, nutritious meal, police recruitment, PESA coordinator recruitment and others. The Congress also asked that why he (Kartikeya) didn't regret the fact that his father was sitting on the chair (became CM) after killing democracy or that under the leadership of his father, Madhya Pradesh has been consistently emerging number one in rape cases and in atrocities on tribals in entire country.

“America-returned Yuvraj; therefore it is a request that you also publicise the ‘Nari Samman Yojana’ (Congress scheme promising Rs 1500 monthly cash scheme to women and domestic gas cylinder for Rs 500) to benefit more and more women by connecting them with this scheme and pray to Lord Hanuman regularly to liberate Madhya Pradesh from the jungle rule of your father.”

The Twitter war continued on Tuesday when Kartikeya again responded, this time targeting Chhindwara MP Nakul Nath (son of ex-CM Kamal Nath) and mentioning the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. “The word Yuvraj is not new to you. There are many princes in your party and you are forced to utter Yuvraj many times and that's why you habitually wrote it here too. It is because of the BJP that your party started trying to learn to respect women. But you will not be able to do it as it is not in your DNA. By the way, I have heard that when 'elder brother' Nakul Nath was in America, the Sikh massacre was happening in the country? Try contesting elections instead of wasting my time. Though it is not likely to happen, I still hope you find issues for politics, not family,” Kartikeya tweeted.

The MP Congress Twitter handle again hit back with another long post, saying that the crime of snatching power by using Maharaj (reference to union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia) was on the head of Kartikeya’s father (Shivraj Singh Chouhan). The Congress again alleged that under Chouhan, ‘jungle raj’ has been established in MP and asked Kartikeya to find time to write a few words on the issues such as the state becoming number one in rapes and tribal atrocities; most unsafe for children, among poorest of states as per poverty index, 17th among 19 states in health index and down to 23rd among 29 states in education index.

“Yuvraj, don’t be misled. Rise up, raise your voice, expose BJP and tell Madhya Pradesh that you are an educated and sensible citizen. Opposition to Shivraj's 'Jungle Raj' is the first step towards excellence,” said the opposition party.