BHOPAL: Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who was born and spent childhood days in Indore, will soon don the role of promoting Madhya Pradesh’s tourism and heritage potential.
“You all know that Salman Khan hails from Indore only, I talked to him on Tuesday and asked him what role can be played by him for Madhya Pradesh. Subsequently, he is ready to work for promoting the tourism and heritage potential of the state. He’ll be in MP from April 1 to April 18 for the purpose,” MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath said in Bhopal on Thursday.
However, when queried about the possibility of the Bollywood actor contesting on Congress ticket against Lok Sabha Speaker and eight-time sitting BJP MP Sumitra Mahajan from Indore seat in the coming general elections, Nath remained silent.
The CM, however, exuded confidence that the Congress will win 25 out of the 29 seats from MP in the Lok Sabha polls. “I will sit with all of you (journalists) at the place and time where you desire after May 15, by when I’m confident that Narendra Modi won’t be the Prime Minister,” said Nath.
In 2014 LS polls, the Congress had been nearly wiped out of the state, as the BJP riding on Modi wave won 27 out of the 29 seats. Congress only won two seats, Kamal Nath (Chhindwara) and Jyotiraditya Scindia (Guna).
A few weeks back speculations were rife in the political circles in Indore about possibility of Khan being fielded as Congress candidate from Indore in the LS polls.
Importantly, Salman Khan was born on December 27, 1965 at a nursing home in Indore’s Palasia area. He spent his childhood days in Indore only, as his grandfather was a senior police officer there.
Though Salman Khan has largely kept self away from politics, he campaigned for Congress’ mayoral candidate Pankaj Sanghavi in Indore during 2009. Khan had embarked on a road show with Sanghvi in Indore in 2009, but the Congress candidate ultimately lost the mayoral elections to BJP veteran Krishna Murari Moghe.
However, it now remains to be seen that whether Salman’s latest association with the Central Indian state for promoting tourism and heritage potential remains confined to it only or he is ultimately roped in by the Congress for boosting its poll prospects in the LS polls.
Interestingly, Salman Khan and his family enjoy good relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In 2017, Modi and Salman Khan had indulged in kite flying on the occasion of Makar Sankranti in Gujarat.
Meanwhile, presenting the report card of the first 76 days of his government in MP, the CM said that 83 points promised in the assembly polls manifesto have been fulfilled. “We’ll waive off farm loans of 25 lakh farmers by Friday evening and loans of another 25 lakh farmers would be waived off in future.”
While informing about the recent round table meeting with industrialists, who have already invested in MP, Nath said in the coming days, the state will now have sector wise industrial policies. He said keeping in mind the demand of confectionary businessmen and sweet-makers, it has been decided to establish a Confectionary Park in Indore. “The sector has promised me 40,000 jobs in one year, once the Confectionary Park is established.”
Reiterating that the Narendra Modi government should make public the evidence of the Balakot air strike by the IAF on February 26, Nath alleged that maximum and the most horrific terror attacks since 1993 have been witnessed during the BJP governments in the country.