The Congress always neglected the interests of the tribals during its rule in the State and at the Centre. If elected, Nirmala Bhuriya would finish the tasks initiated by the late Bhuriya, said Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday while addressing an election meeting in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate at Udaigarh in Alirajpur district of the election-bound Jhabua – Ratlam parliamentary constituency.
Chouhan said, “Congress has always exploited the tribals, since Independence most of the time Congress Governments remain in power but nothing was done for the betterment and welfare of the tribals neither any solid step were taken for the progress of tribal community. Had Congress taken reminiscence of tribals during its rule and have shown interest in the development of tribal areas than the picture of
the tribal areas should have been different.”
Chouhan further said that the BJP is well-wisher party of tribals and the BJP Government of the State has formulated and implemented schemes that are in the interest of the tribals. The schemes and works of the BJP Government of the state has brought light in the life of tribal community.
He said that late tribal leader Bhuriya made all out efforts for the development of tribal areas and in order to finish the incomplete works of late Bhuriya and meet the people’s expectations the BJP has made his daughter Nirmala Bhuriya party candidate.
Making touching appeal to the electorate of the constituency the chief minister asked to make Nirmala Bhuriya victorious by historic margin and provide momentum to the Ratlam – Jhabua parliamentary constituency.
He said that the BJP Government of the state has taken steps for education of the tribal children so that they could also become IAS, IPS, doctors, engineer.
He promised that Narmada water would be brought to their fields for that the State Government has chalked out a plan of `2,200 crore.
Notably, by-election to the 24 Ratlam (ST) Parliamentary Constituency is scheduled for November 21. The by-election for Ratlam lS seat, spread over eight Assembly constituencies of Ratlam, Jhabua and Alirajpur districts, was necessitated following the death of Dilip Singh Bhuria, a prominent tribal face of BJP, in June this year.
The seat had been the forte of Congress since Independence. But last time around, former Union Minister and Congress nominee Kantilal Bhuria lost the election to BJP's Dilip Singh Bhuria by a margin of 1.12 lakh votes. Prior to it, the Congress had lost the election from the seat to Praja Socialist Party (PSP) in 1977.