Can Congress dislodge BJP from Madhya Pradesh?
Having been relieved of his other post of general secretary in-charge of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Digvijaya Singh has now been tasked with rebuilding Congress for a long and testing haul in MP
Post-Emergency, Madhya Pradesh has kept swinging between political instability and long spells of electoral lethargy. It has remained like that all along. But, unlike neighbouring UP and Rajasthan, the frequency of reshuffles has been inconsistent. The first chief minister to complete a five-year term was Arjun Singh (1980-85). Then, between 1985 and 1992 five incumbents took turns, four from Congress and one from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Digvijaya Singh then led the Congress to a 10-year spell in power. However, since 2003, the BJP has remained in the saddle due to patchy opposition from a fragmented Congress. After two brief spells of Uma Bharati and Babulal Gaur, Shivraj Singh has anchored the BJP for the last 13 years. Having acquired all vices that come through such unstinted power, the BJP is banking on money and muscle. But the trepidation behind the superficial bravado is hard to hide.
Having been relieved of his other post of general secretary in charge of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Digvijaya Singh is now burdened with the unenviable task of rebuilding the party for a long and testing haul on his home turf.
Though the reorganised Congress is upbeat, it candidly admits the task to be tough. The BJP, on the other hand, is conscious of the growing discontent among people and availability of a viable alternative. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s third term has been marked by spiralling corruption, frequent breakdown of law and order and unrest among farmers, Dalits and scheduled tribes, and atrocities on women and children. While the government and ruling party has been incurring people’s ire.
After two brief spells of Uma Bharati and Babulal Gaur, Shivraj Singh has anchored the BJP for the last 13 years. Having acquired all vices that come through such long unstinted power, the BJP is banking on money and muscle. But the trepidation behind the superficial bravado is hard to hide
Unlike other leaders on the contemporary scene, Digvijaya Singh has the widest pan-Madhya Pradesh connect. He is also seen as the shrewdest among the current lot. His wiles have fetched him and his party considerable success. But this might turn out to be the toughest test of his political career. In this interview, he dwells extensively on various issues concerning the party:
How would you rate the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government on a scale of 10 ?
Three out of 10. He has been promising the moon but hasn’t delivered. He has been lucky, as the GOI under UPA, on the recommendation of the Finance Commission, increased the state’s share in central taxes from 28% during my tenure to 42% now. Despite that, the loan burden on MP has increased from approximately ₹24,000 Crores to ₹1,70,000 crores.
He has delivered extremely poor governance. Corruption is rampant, and the biggest scam is that of VYAPAM. Rules were changed, the law was amended to help the scamsters, including a BJP minister, officials from his office and his family members. All this was going on right under his nose in Bhopal since 2006, through 2012, undetected.
Who would believe it? Illegal sand mining is another big scam in which his whole family is involved and his village Jait is the hub of illegal sand mining. These are only two scandals. I can go on as the list is endless.
Is there any area where he has done well?
He has succeeded in creating an aura of honesty and simplicity through spending public funds on media. The budget for public relations has gone up by over 10 times.
What are the strong points of the new organisational structure of the Congress?
Kamal Nath is a senior, respected and experienced leader who knows the state and has been a symbol of development. Along with him, we have a young team of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is extremely popular among the youth, Arun Yadav, Ajay Singh Rahul, Jeetu Patwari, Bala Bachan, Surendra Chowdhary, Ram Niwas Rawat. Besides, we also have an experienced tribal leader in Kanti Lal Bhuria.
There are several areas where the state government might have failed. But the Congress’ record on these issues wasn’t much better either. How do you deal with this issue?
I don’t agree with you. If you see the statistics under Congress regime, things were much better and under control.
Are you satisfied with your party’s 15-year performance in the Opposition?
We did our best but, yes, we could have been more aggressive.
In a largely two-party state, the natural beneficiary of BJP’s declining popularity should have been the Congress. But why is that not palpable in the public mood?
It is very much there in the public mood as I personally experienced it during my 3,100 km Narmada parikrama. There is huge anti-incumbency against Shivraj even in Budhni, his own constituency.
How do you convince people about party’s plans to undo the damage the incumbent government has caused, and provide better governance? Can you promise cheaper petrol and diesel in the state by cutting down local taxes?
Our Election Manifesto Committee is looking into it. But as far as petrol and diesel are concerned, it is due to the increase in central excise of more than 200% in petrol and 400% in diesel over the last four years, which must be brought to the level of May 2014. That would reduce the prices by more than ₹15-20 per litre on petrol and diesel.
How do you see your own role?
My role is that of a coordinator to galvanise all our resources and bring unity in the party’s ranks.
By asking you to focus on Madhya Pradesh, hasn’t the party leadership put the onus of winning the state back largely on your shoulders?
No one person can deliver on that in such a large state by himself. It has to be a collective effort from everyone that can deliver the result. When I was going for my Narmada Parikrama, I had requested my leadership to relieve me of my duties as incharge of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. I have worked in the AICC under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi for 14 years, and now Rahul Gandhi is building his new team, which is a good thing. As far as I am concerned, I would now devote my full time to Madhya Pradesh.
Congress lost power in the state on charges of corruption. The BJP can’t claim to have provided a cleaner government either. What is your take on this?
They haven’t been able to prove a single charge of corruption against me. My defamation suit against Uma Bharati is still pending in the court. In spite of the fact that they have been in government for the last 15 years, they haven’t found anything against me or my government.
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Published: 01 Jun 2018, 3:05 PM