Cong ‘misrule’ new focus of BJP poll speeches in Madhya Pradesh

BHOPAL: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh has decided to remind voters about the Congress’ previous stints in power, drawing a contrast between its own development agenda and the alleged corruption and non-performance that, it says,marked the opposition party’s rule.

The BJP has ruled Madhya Pradesh continuously since 2003. The Congress was in power in the state between 1993 and 2003. Over the past week, several BJP leaders, including chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, have warned voters about the Congress coming to power.

“Please remember if Congressmen come back to power they will not fill the potholes. All my schemes will be drowned in the flood and whatever benefits people are getting due to various schemes will vanish,” Chouhan said in Badi two days ago. Local MLA Surendra Patwa echoed the CM’S statement.

Party chief Amit Shah, who is criss-crossing the state, also reminded people about past Congress regimes. “There was no road worth the name; irrigation in only 7.5 lakh hectares of land; loan to farmers at 18% interest rate and no procurement of wheat, paddy and soybean on minimum support price (MSP). Now, your children study up to 3 O’clock at night. Could they do it earlier?” said Shah in Jabalpur on Friday. Union minister for rural development, panchayati raj and mines Narendra Singh Tomar spoke in a similar vein at a public meeting on his home turf Gwalior on Friday.

State Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said, “Since BJP leaders have nothing worthwhile to show in the name of development, the only option left is to try to mislead people.”