The Shadow Cabinet announced by the opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh to put a check on the State Government has failed to register its presence till now; even at time when the BJP Ministers are presenting their report cards highlighting their achievements.
The so-called Shadow Cabinet announced by leader of Opposition in the State Assembly Satyadev Katare seemed to be in deep slumber. Since, Katare is undergoing treatment in Mumbai, his Shadow Cabinet members are missing. PCC chief Arun Yadav is coming out for taking on the ministers for the past two days.
The condition in faction-ridden State Congress is so worst that the Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Arun Yadav has to come forward on his own to take media briefings for countering the achievements claimed by BJP ministers.
Notably, the leader of opposition in the State Assembly, Satyadev Katare had in May this year announced the ‘shadow cabinet’ comprising Congress MlAs to keep a tab on different ministries of the state government. He allocated portfolios among its senior and junior MlAs, both to keep a tab on the functioning of various ministries and in the process, also solve people’s problems, he said.
The shadow cabinet was to help keep control over ministers and the bureaucracy, as well as make them more accountable.
While junior MlAs were confined to specific ministries, senior ones were not assigned any ministry so that they could interfere in any department and also guide inexperienced legislators in dealing with any specific issue.
There was a 10-point guideline for this shadow cabinet and the MlAs were told to read last three years’ budget reports of the government, delve deep into different committee reports and its recommendations related to concerned departments, review manifestos of ruling party to corner it.
However, since its formation the shadow cabinet failed to impress as till date it is nowhere, not a single issue has been raised by it and at this time when it was expected most to play its role when the Shivraj cabinet ministers are presenting their report cards there is not even a talk of this shadow cabinet in the Congress circles.