Cong, BJP spar over CM Chouhan’s clips

BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Congress released audio and video clips on Wednesday, saying they contained chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s speech in which he admitted the previous state government was toppled on the instructions of the central BJP leadership.

Chouhan’s remarks cited by the Congress purportedly came while addressing an intraparty meeting with BJP workers and leaders in Indore on Sunday. In the speech, Chouhan is heard saying, “But there is a question. The central leadership had decided that this government should fall. This (government) will ruin and destroy the state.”

Chouhan is further heard saying while pointing to his ministerial colleague Tulsi Silavat, who resigned from the Congress to join the BJP, “He (Tulsi Silavat) gave up his position of minister as he was pained (with the conduct of Congress). People don’t give up even the post of sarpanch.”

Chouhan’s meeting with the party workers and leaders was to mobilise them ahead of bypolls to 24 assembly constituencies, 22 of which fell vacant after the then Congress MLAsresigned in

March and joined the BJP. Silavat, who is now the water resources minister, is likely to contest the bypoll from Sanwer assembly that he held until he resigned.

The resignations of the legislators followed the resignation of senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia who joined the BJP. Their resignations culminated in the fall of the Congress government in the state.