SC outfits angry over ‘exclusion’ of community leaders from MP cabinet

A section of Madhya Pradesh’s Scheduled Caste (SC) leaders expressed disappointment over the ‘exclusion’ of MLAsfromthecommunityinCM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s newly expanded cabinet.

Chouhan rejigged his council of ministers on Saturday, inducting three new members.

SC outfits have given the state’s BJP government seven days to induct a community member in the cabinet, threatening that if their demand wasn’t fulfilled then they would teach the right-wing party ‘a lesson’ in this year’s assembly elections.

Stating that SCs form a sizeable portion of the state’s population, Ahirwar Pragati Manch president RR Raje said: “In Bundelkhand, around 24% population is SC. There are 26 assembly seats in the region of which five are represented by the community. Even then if our community members don’t find a place in the cabinet then it’s surprising.”

Echoing Raje’s views, Rashtriya Anusuchit Janjati Yuva Sangh leader Mahendra Choudhary said: “The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has misled us for the sake of our votes. If in seven days our demand of including a member from our community in the cabinet is not met then we will agitate and the BJP will have to pay a price in the coming assembly polls”.

The Congress was quick to mount an attack on the BJP, accusing it of not giving representation to the SC community.

“The BJP government has not given appropriate representation to the SC community in the state cabinet and this reflects the party’s overall outlook towards the community,” former state minister and Congress leader Surendra Choudhary said.

However, SC leader and BJP MLA from Naryoli, Pradeep Lariya distanced himself from the SC outfits’ demand and added that it was the party and CM’s prerogative to decide who gets included in the cabinet.

“I have never desired to be a minister. I have nothing to do with these organisations and their demands,” he said.

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