The battle in Madhya Pradesh, in particular the Anuppur Assembly constituency, is between those who backstabbed the public mandate and its protectors, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said on Friday.

Saying the founders of the Constitution would have never thought MLAs will get traded one day, he urged voters to vote for Congress candidate Vishwanath Singh in Anuppur.

Baghel was addressing a public rally at Jaithari.

He said that in a democracy it is the elector who is more powerful than the MLA, Minister or Chief Minister. His vote decides the fate of any candidate. The Congress was given a mandate to rule Madhya Pradesh but the BJP used money power to lure many of its MLAs, leading to the by-election.

The MLAs who shifted allegiance by "selling themselves" had belittled the given mandate. Voters will have to teach such leaders a lesson to protect democracy and the Constitution, the Congress leader emphasized.

“Politicians work for an ideology with an intention to serve the people... It is then passed on to the next generation. But due to the sin of Ravan, his next generations could not come out of the impact of his deed,” said Baghel.

Terming the three agriculture laws of the central government as ‘black laws’, Baghel said the impact is already visible: onion which cost Rs 10 per kg is being sold at Rs 100 and potato at Rs 60 per kg.

The farmers will have to purchase it for seed at this rate and in return they will get Rs 5 per kg for their produce. Even though crude oil prices are low, people have to purchase petrol and diesel at higher prices. Inflation will only increase, he said.

The Central government will only work for the capitalists, he added.