The date for the bypolls to 28 seats in Madhya Pradesh—November 3—was announced just a week ago, but Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been in campaign mode ever since he began his fourth term in office this March. From managing the pandemic to hitting the road with Jyotiraditya Scindia, who left the Congress for the BJP, and making a spate of welfare announcements in the post-lockdown period, Chouhan is doing what he does best—connect with people. The bypolls are crucial as they will decide whether the BJP will retain power or the Congress will make a comeback. Though the BJP needs to win only nine seats to stay in power, Chouhan is confident of winning all 28 seats. Excerpts from an interview:
Q/ How many seats do you think will each party win in the bypolls?
A/ I can certainly speak about my party that we are going to win in all seats. We compete and fight to win and only win.
Q/Why do you think the BJP will win all bypoll seats and the Congress may not have a chance at all?
A/ Welfare of the state and its people is our topmost priority. Congress leaders are always involved in corrupt, mala fide and selfish practices. They do not have time for the welfare of the state; they are always busy filling their personal reserves and are involved in party factionalism. The Bharatiya Janata Party focuses on the development of every section of society. I believe in doing my karma, which is serving the society.
Q/ Even as the Congress is pushing the narrative of “betrayal” by Scindia and his supporters, what, according to you, are the important issues this byelection?
A/ The MLAs who moved to the BJP from the Congress clearly said that Kamal Nath put the development of the state at stake. Chhindwara alone meant the whole state, in fact the whole country, for Kamal Nathì.
The people of Madhya Pradesh are well aware about what the BJP has done in the past and what the Kamal Nath government has done in 15 months. Keeping in view the distress of the people in wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we took quick result-oriented decisions such as wheat procurement even in lockdown period. We introduced the Kisan Samman Nidhi, street vendors’ scheme and many others that made a world of difference. Our ideology is purely developmental and people-oriented. Service to the people is our sole religion. We did not allow the development process to stop even during the Covid-19 crisis. The Congress will try to hide its failure and faults by blaming others; it is an old tradition with the party.
Q/ Does the financial aspect of implementing the schemes you have announced worry you?
A/ We have not only made announcements, but also implemented these schemes in letter and spirit—transferring Rs60,000 crore to the accounts of beneficiaries.
I don’t believe in crying for want of funds. I believe in hard work. Availability of funds is all about political will, competency and financial management skills, and the Congress has failed miserably in this area. So, as far as the work for public interest is concerned, there will never be any dearth of moneyì. If you are able to discern the plight of the people, you are determined to find ways for their amelioration, and then arrangement of funds is no longer a difficult task. Although it is true that we got an empty treasury, we are working [a way] out.
Q/ How do you plan to bring the state economy back on track?
A/ We are resolute in reviving [the state economy] with a well-thought-out plan of action. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given us the vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. We have prepared a roadmap towards realising his dream, based on sector-specific development, which will accelerate growth and boost the state’s economy.
We have also taken up the ‘Ek Zila, Ek Pehchan’ (one district, one identity) scheme to encourage region-specific farming and augment local economy, fulfilling the prime minister’s idea of ‘vocal for local’ì. We have taken decisions such as not raising petroleum-linked prices, which the Congress did during the pandemic, reducing stamp duty by 2 per cent and no additional taxes for the real estate sector as part of our measures towards reinvigorating the state’s economy and the real estate. IT-based monitoring will ensure efficiency and transparency in the functioning of the administrative machinery.
Q/ Do you think many in the BJP, especially in the Gwalior-Chambal region (Scindia’s bastion), might still be upset? Will it hurt the party’s poll prospects?
A/ I will term this as a mere presumption. The BJP takes decisions based on collective consent and deliberation. We work by rising above petty politics. Our party is a democratic organisation and has leaders who grow on their own capabilitiesì. We are confident that the BJP will win the byelections in each and every seat.
Q/ Anti-incumbency was said to be one of the major factors for BJP’s loss in the 2018 assembly polls. Do you think the voters’ mind has changed in two years?
A/ It was a fractured mandate, not in favour of the Congress. What had happened in the assembly elections was not due to anti-incumbency. It was because of the dilemma in peoples’ mind in a few places, and people accepted this immediately after the election results were announced. They were not happy with the Congress winning. They realised their mistake of not choosing a chief minister who would stand by them in good and bad times.
Q/ If the BJP gets the required majority in the house, what changes do you foresee in the state’s socio-political sphere?
A/ People will witness a revolutionary changeì. A new chapter of development-centric politics begins here. The politics which has corruption and opportunistic approach as its basis is set to finish forever. The state’s politics will set new examples of democratic values under the BJP government.