A vote for the BJP is vote for him, says Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Oozing with confidence and showing no signs of fatigue in spite of his 20-hour-a-day schedule, Chouhan insists that all nay-sayers and cynics would prove wrong on December 8 when MP verdict will be announced.
On campaign trail with Chouhan, this correspondent traveled from Boda village in the Narsingarh constituency. At the election meetings, he addresses the gathering waiting for him for hours only for few minutes. He stresses on voting for the party nominee because that it the only way to make him Chief Minister for third term.
On Monday evening, he got late by three hours and reached at 7.30 pm. The next destination was village Salsalai in Shajapur district, which is around 40 kms. However, with a fear of passing through National Highway, Chouhan opted for the State highways. With this, it took around two hours, but the condition of the road was better. Over the condition of roads in Madhya Pradesh, the Chief Minister said that the most of State owned roads are in order and at some places work is in progress. On the contrary, the condition of national highways passing through Madhya Pradesh is completely in bad shape. There are places, where road does not exist, he added.
"I do not know what kind of Government this is. It is not ready to help in development. After our repeated requests, some of the national highways were handed over to us for repair, but the proposals are still pending for sanction at Centre," he lamented. "I am unable to find a reason as why the Central Government putting hurdles on each and every project," he said, reckoning that Union Minister Kamal Nath had portfolio of Transport Ministry for two years, but the national highways were not repaired.
Regarding the advertisement war launched by the Congress against Chouhan and his family, he told that he is pained with the baseless allegations and thus he has served a legal notice to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and other leaders.
"Few days ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had alleged that the BJP has reached so down in leveling allegations, but I feel that the Congress has crossed all the limits. Congress levelled baseless allegations against me and my family members. This cannot be politics," he said, adding that in the politics, there should only be difference in the ideology, but by adopting different path, the only objective should be welfare of the people.
On the contrary, the Congress has crossed all the limits. Whatever they have done against me, was never against any leader or any Chief Minister, he added. He asked, "Is it possible that the leaders go to such an extent for maintaining opposition to the ruling party or the Chief MinisterIJ"
When asked that despite declaring its chief ministerial candidate by the Congress in the Assembly polls, there is Shivraj vs Jyotiraditya Scindia, Chouhan plainly said that he was not against anybody. Everybody should come forth for the development of the State. "I am surprised, as how Shivraj has become so strong enemy. If I am doing good job for the people, does it mean that I have become an enemy," he asked, adding that the only objective of the Congress is to damage the image of the Chief Minister by misleading the people.
He justified his decision to contest Assembly polls from two constituencies, stating that it was the decision of his party and he followed it. However, to substantiate his commitment to organise elections simultaneously to avoid expenses, Chouhan said that he is considering convening elections of village and nagar panchayats simultaneously.
Notably, Chouhan has been advocating electoral reforms, such as fixed terms for legislatures and simultaneous elections to parliament and State Assemblies. He told that he has been contesting from Budhni and Vidisha, but he would not visit the constituencies even once, because the party workers there have assured him of victory without his presence. Even in 2008, he had not visited Bidhnu for a single day.