The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have found flood relief as the fresh issue on which war of words is on. Public Relations Minister PC Sharma has accused former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan of doing nautanki (drama) on flood relief accusing him of getting MP funds blocked from the Centre.
Since, Mandsaur and Neemuch towns are facing worst-ever floods, former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reached Malhargarh town in Mandsaur on Monday as early as 3 am. The state government has deputed Water Resources minister Hukum Singh Karada to Neemcuh to take stock of damages and submit a report to the State Government.
Chouhan met the flood victims of several villages in Mandsaur-Neemuch on Monday.
Meanwhile, as always the accusations are flying around yet again on the issue of flood relief. Chouhan among other things, had on Sunday accused Congress government of not doing enough for flood victims and threatened an agitation from Sep 22. He said he has donated one- month salary as MLA to flood relief.
Prompt came the reply from Public Relations minister PC Sharma who claimed that Chouhan was doing nautanki on flood relief while it was him who had got funds for MP blocked from the Centre.
The BJP-led central government has reduced the funds allocation by Rs 310 crore for last year and this year by altering the centre-state share of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) from 90:10 to 75:25 and this was the fund we badly needed at the time of ongoing flood crisis, Sharma told the media in Bhopal on Monday.
Chouhan who was in Mandsaur replied with folded hands that he begs of PC Sharma CM Kamal Nath to rather focus on relief and not waste time in allegations as people have been devastated by the flood.
“Not a time to abuse Shivraj.” We should stop abusing each other and concentrate on offering succor to the public, he added.
Asked what the Centre was doing amid all this, Chouhan claimed Rs 850 cr lying unused in SDRF are given by the centre and should be utilised as immediate relief.
Commenting on Congress allegations, senior BJP MLA and the ex-minister Narottam Mishra claimed that Centre always offer support on the basis of survey report from state at the time of calamity and till date, MP has not send any report. “No survey has been done so how can they send it,” alleged Mishra.