Stung by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's criticism, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has decided to take on the Chief Minister at a series of meetings, starting from Morena on September 1.
Scindia's move comes in the wake of Chouhan's barbed comment recently in Shivpuri-Datia region. Chouhan reportedly said "where is Jyotiraditya Scindia." Otherwise too, the Chief Minister has thrown open challenge to Scindia in areas considered as the Union Minister's stronghold.
Gwalior - Shivpuri is known as a part of erstwhile Gwalior State.
Scindia's public meetings has been rated highly as all State Congress and Union leaders are likely to attend the meeting. The leaders have been given clear directives that there should be a huge gathering in Morena that would give a message of unity among regional Congress satraps.
Even a team of media persons from Bhopal has been dispatched to Morena for extensive coverage of the event.
Political observers feel that at a time when it is speculated that Scindia might be appointed election campaign committee chairman anytime, this meeting in Scindia's stronghold is a crucial one.
Only a couple of months are left for the Assembly elections, but the leadership at ground-level seems to be absent. Senior party leaders, including Congress general secretary and former State Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, Union Minister Kamal Nath, former State Congress president Suresh Pachouri, former Union Minister Arun Yadav, former AICC spokesman Satyavrat Chaturvedi and others are engaged in Delhi politics.
There is strong feeling among the Congressmen here that the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Kantilal Bhuria
and leader of Opposition in State Assembly, Ajay Singh have not been able to make a huge dent in the ruling party in the past.
All senior leaders of the State besides Congress workers have vociferously been demanding that Scindia be projected as the chief ministerial candidate if the party is voted to power.