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Shivraj Singh Chouhan: A CM isolated by his own party

Despite 17 years in power, Chouhan was never a mass leader and used the treasury to build an image for himself in complete contrast with his own persona.

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Shivraj Singh Chauhan

By Neeraj Mishra

It has been understood for long that in Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje Scindia has been an eyesore for the Modi-Shah combine but their absolute disdain for Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh has come as a surprise for many.

Chouhan, on his part, has always made a great show of laying the red carpet for PM Modi, whether presenting him with those cheetahs from South Africa on his birthday or copying his Banaras corridor in Ujjain, he has consciously sucked up to the party boss.

What has happened so far is that after an internal assessment, the party bosses has realised that there is a severe anti-incumbency factor against Chouhan and it would be best to get rid of him to save the party. Though this had been in the making since January this year and the Jyotiraditya Scindia camp had been making suitable noises, Chouhan survived through some clever manoeuvres with Nagpur. He also roped in the combined strength of Narendra Tomar, Kailash Vijayvargiya and Prahlad Patel, who were convinced that an outsider like Scindia had to be stopped.

Three months before the elections, however, Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah played a more clever game. They pushed all the aspirants for the CM’s post into the fray so now the BJP has at least half a dozen future BJP chief ministers fighting to win. Apart from Scindia, Tomar, Chouhan, Vijayvargiya and Patel, there is Narottam Mishra and eight-time MLA Gopal Bhargav. The thinking at the top is that each of them has to win in their own bastions and also ensure their region returns the most BJP MLAs.

So where does that leave Chouhan? After being completely sidelined by Modi at all public meetings since September, when the PM even refused to acknowledge his presence on stage, Shivraj has uncharacteristically started making all the noise for himself in his public meetings. He started asking the crowds whether they want to see him back as CM. This has further strained relations within the party.

What most people forget that Chouhan despite 17 years in power was never a mass leader and he used all treasury resources to build an image for himself which is in complete contrast to his own persona. He was always a party worker who tagged along with former chief minister Sunderlal Patwa and RSS strongman Kushabhau Thakre. He was promoted by them for his immense ability to bend as desired. His malleability and political opportunism combined with great luck brought him to the chief minister’s chair without much effort.

Though a four-term Chief Minister, he actually won an election only once on his own. He lost the 2003 elections from Raghogarh but was brave enough to take on the sitting chief minister Digvijaya Singh. Uma Bharati led the BJP to a massive decimation of the Congress but as things turned out, Chouhan became chief minister by 2006 after 2.5 years. He then cleverly worked his way into Congress folds and bluffed then PCC president Suresh Pachauri, another baseless political climber, into sleepwalking in 2008 thinking victory was around the corner. Pachauri is till date accused of striking a deal with Chouhan and his political career never recovered after that loss.

The only election Chouhan won was in 2013 by which time the Congress was in massive disarray and Modi had appeared on the scene by September that year. That carried Chouhan and the BJP through in November 2013, six months ahead of national elections. He went on to lose in 2018 to the Kamal Nath-led Congress but returned to power 15 months later riding on the back of Scindia’s betrayal.  It is believed that he financed the betrayal of 22 MLAs and each was paid Rs 30 crore as revealed by Kamal Nath himself in an interview to Aaj Tak. So, in effect, Chouhan has been the luckiest political leader in modern India.

This is now understood by the Modi-Shah combine. They also realise that out of power, Chouhan has little standing within or without the party. Chouhan will also have too many court cases and corruption allegations to answer once out of his seat. It is unlikely that Kamal Nath, if he wins, will do it but at some point luck always runs out, even if it is 17 years later. That point may be now in Chouhan’s life.

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Election Commission orders AAP to modify Lok Sabha campaign song

AAP minister Atishi attacked the ECI for putting a ban on the party’s Lok Sabha election campaign song. She said this has happened for the first time in the history of India that the Election Commission has put a ban on the election song of a political party.

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The Election Commission of India asked the Aam Aadmi Party to modify its election campaign song on Sunday. The Election Commission pointed out that the phrase jail ke jawaab me hum vote denge shows an aggressive mob holding the photo of Arvind Kejriwal showing him behind bars, casts a bad impression of the judiciary. The ECI added that the phrase appears several times in the advertisement which contravenes the provisions of ECI Guidelines and Rule 6(1\(g) of Programme and Advertising Codes prescribed under the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994.

AAP minister Atishi attacked the ECI for putting a ban on the party’s Lok Sabha election campaign song. She said this has happened for the first time in the history of India that the Election Commission has put a ban on the election song of a political party.

The Election Commission listed some of the phrases that it found in violation of codes. The phrase: Tanashahi party ko hum chot denge with the video clip showing the protesters clash with the police (running from 00:21 to 00:23) incites violence. The phrase: gunda gardi ke khilaf vote denge and Tanashahi karne wali party ko hum chot denge running from duration 00:27 to 00:32 Sec with the video clip showing Manish Sisodia being escorted by the police. The words and the video clip shows the police in bad light.

The Election Commision said the phrase: Awazein khilaf thi jo sabko jail me daal dia, bas unko hi bahar rakha jisne inko maal dia. Itna lalach, itna nafrat, bhrastachari se mohabbat shows slanderous remarks and is a criticism of BJP on the basis of unverified facts and also casts bad impression of the judiciary. The Election Commission stated that the phrase Tanashahi party ko hum chot denge with the video clip showing aggressive mob clashing with the police shows criticism of the ruling party based on unverified facts.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

PM Modi criticises Rahul Gandhi for allegedly insulting Hindu kings, accuses Congress of not addressing atrocities by Muslim rulers

The prime minister was addressing an election rally in Karnataka’s Belagavi where he said, the statements made by the Shehzada of Congress have been made very thoughtfully to appease their vote bank. But the Shehzada does not utter a word about the atrocities committed by the Nizams, Nawabs, Badshahs and Sultans.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly insulting Hindu kings but not saying a word on atrocities committed by Muslim rulers like Aurangzeb. The prime minister was addressing an election rally in Karnataka’s Belagavi where he said, the statements made by the Shehzada of Congress have been made very thoughtfully to appease their vote bank. But the Shehzada does not utter a word about the atrocities committed by the Nizams, Nawabs, Badshahs and Sultans.

Congress does not remember the atrocities committed by Aurangzeb who destroyed thousands of Hindu temples.  He said Congress forms political alliances with parties who praise Aurangzeb. PM Modi said the Congress do not talk about all those who destroyed Hindu pilgrimage sites, looted them, killed Hindu people, and killed cows.

The Prime Minister was referring to a video clip of Rahul Gandhi which was shared by many BJP leaders. In the video clip, the Gandhi is heard saying, during the rule of Rajas and Maharajas, they could do whatever they wanted and even grab someone’s land. The Congress fought for India’s independence and brought democracy in the country.

PM Modi also mentioned the death of a Karnataka Congress corporator’s daughter, who was killed by her former colleague in her college.  He said the Congress government gives priority to appeasement and for them, the lives of daughters like Neha have no value. The prime minister further added that the Congress is only concerned about its vote bank.

Neha Hiremath, daughter of Congress Councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Niranjan Hiremath, was murdered on the campus of BVB College on April 18 by her ex-classmate Fayaz. PM Modi accused Congress for supporting anti national parties like PFI (Popular Front of India) for votes which is an anti-national organisation that gives shelter to terrorism and which has been banned by the Modi government.

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Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely resigns, says he feels handicapped under Deepak Babaria’s leadership

Arvinder Singh Lovely pointed out many instances when party leaders objected to the way Deepak Babaria, the Congress’s general secretary in-charge for Delhi, conducted the state of affairs. Lovely said that he was under great pressure to expel the leaders who objected to Babaria’s ways.

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Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely on Sunday resigned from his post, citing interference by the party’s general secretary in-charge and alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi as major friction points. In his resignation letter to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Lovely said he felt handicapped and unable to continue as the president of the Delhi Congress unit.

He pointed out many instances when party leaders objected to the way Deepak Babaria, the Congress’s general secretary in-charge for Delhi, conducted the state of affairs. Lovely said that he was under great pressure to expel the leaders who objected to Babaria’s ways. Arvinder Singh Lovely said the Congress’s alliance with the AAP in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections, which he claimed was opposed by the  Delhi Congess unit.

 Lovely wrote in his letter to the Congress President that the state Congress Unit was against forming an alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party which was formed on the sole basis of levelling false, fabricated and malafide corruption charges against the Congress, and in turn, whose half of the cabinet ministers are in jail on corruption charges. He further called the alliance a compromise to improve chances of victory for the Congress.

Arvinder Singh Lovely said while he respected the Congress’s alliance decision with Aam Aadmi party but he was upset by Congress’s North East Delhi seat candidate Kanhaiya Kumar praising AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal. Lovely further said that according to the alliance, the Congress was allotted 3 Lok Sabha seats, of which 2 – North West and North East – constituencies were given to total strangers.

Udit Raj is a Congress-AAP joint candidate in North West Delhi, whereas Kanhaiya Kumar is contesting from the North East seat. Arvinder Singh Lovely said the announcement of Raj and Kumar as candidates had caused an uproar and protests by Delhi Congress leaders and workers within the party.

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