BHOPAL: Second-time MLA and former MP from central Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district, 60-year-old Hemant Khandelwal was elected unopposed as the new president of the Madhya Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday.
In his first, albeit brief, address as the ruling party’s state chief, Khandelwal made his intentions clear by issuing a stern warning: “Stay disciplined. Those deviating from the party line will be in trouble.”
“Samaaj hamse Congress se hatkar achche aacharan ki ummeed rakhta hai, is manch aur aap sabki jimmedari hai ki hum sab janta ki bhavnaon ke anuroop apnaa aacharan rakhein, anushasan mein rahein (Compared to the Congress, people expect good conduct from us. It’s the responsibility of this platform and all of you to conduct ourselves in accordance with the people’s sentiments and remain disciplined),” Khandelwal said.
“Har voh vyakti jo party ke liye samarpit hai uska sammaan hoga aur har voh vyakti jo party se daayen baayen hota hai usey dikkat aayegi (All those committed to the party will get respect, but those deviating from the party line will be in trouble),” he said while addressing a crowded auditorium at the BJP state headquarters.
Union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the party’s national joint general secretary (organisation) Shiv Prakash, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, and outgoing state party chief VD Sharma were present at the event.
Striking a chord with the party’s karyakartas (workers), Khandelwal said, “I don’t possess any special or additional qualification. I’m a common worker like you all.”
Khandelwal’s terse message, "Stay in line, don’t go right or left" assumed particular significance amid a spate of controversial remarks made by senior party leaders recently, which have caused public embarrassment for the BJP.
Several senior BJP leaders from the state, including Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Dewda, cabinet minister Vijay Shah, ex-union minister and seven-time MP Faggan Singh Kulaste, and first-time MLA Narendra Prajapati, have recently landed the party in trouble with their controversial statements related to Operation Sindoor.
While Shah, one of the party’s most senior tribal leaders, is facing a criminal case in Indore for his remark calling Colonel Sofia Qureshi, the public face of Operation Sindoor, a “sister of terrorists,” Deputy CM Dewda has come under fire from the opposition Congress for saying that “the Indian Army and soldiers bow at PM Modi’s feet.”
Outgoing state BJP chief VD Sharma, who led the party for a record five years, had to frequently tackle outbursts from outspoken party MLAs, including Pradeep Patel (Mauganj) and Pritam Lodhi (Pichhore).
Verbal spats involving other lawmakers, such as the continued attacks by first-time MLA and ex-MP Riti Pathak against Deputy CM Rajendra Shukla, and the ongoing feud between Minister Govind Rajput and ex-minister Bhupendra Singh, have also given the Congress fresh ammunition to target the BJP.
Senior minister and former union minister Prahlad Patel also faced criticism from the opposition in March for stating that “people are becoming habitual of begging from the government.”
In response to the growing list of controversies, the BJP recently organised a training camp for its lawmakers, both MPs and MLAs, at Pachmarhi, the state’s only hill station. The focus of the camp was to train legislators to avoid speaking beyond the party’s official line and to maintain proper public conduct.