The ‘Madhya Pradesh Sandesh’ magazine published by the State Government has turned out to be the mouthpiece of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as in the latest issue BJP candidates’ who recently emerged victorious as mayors in 10 municipal corporations have been given space.
The issue of the magazine dated December, 2014 is in the market and in this issue, State organizational general secretary of the BJP Arvind Menon has contributed an article, titled ‘Aantyodaya ko sarthak kiya Shivraj ne’ (Shivraj made the Antyodaya meaningful).
In the articles, Menon has whole-heartedly praised the saffron party and counted all the achievements of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in past nine years. With this article, Menon has attempted to give a message that any common party worker may reach on the topmost post and become a role model.
Besides, in two pages, photographs of all the newly elected BJP Mayors have been placed with title, ‘Victorious candidates of Mayor in Municipal elections’. It has clearly been mentioned that these winning candidates belong to the BJP.
Since, the publication is government, publishing photographs of BJP leaders has put a question mark on the magazine.
Political observers feel that the State unit of the party already publishes its mouthpiece magazine ‘Charaiveti’ and thus the message of the party leaders are carried in it.
Chief Spokesman of the Congress in Madhya Pradesh KK Mishra has alleged that this is completely a case of saffronizing the State government. “The senior officials associated with the magazine should have taken this seriously and not accepted the article of the BJP leader for publication,” he added.