BHOPAL: A major political controversy seems to be brewing in Madhya Pradesh over chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s recent statements about the powerful Scindia family of Gwalior.
The CM while addressing a public rally in Sinhuda village of bypoll bound Ater in Bhind district on Friday had reportedly launched a scathing attack on the erstwhile royal Scindia family, saying that Scindias connived with the Britishers to unleash atrocities on innocent people.
The verbal attack by Chouhan was seen to particularly target the Guna MP and Congress chief whip in the Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is being projected as Congress’s chief ministerial face for the 2018 Assembly polls in the State.
Incidentally, Jyotiraditya Scindia’s family has a strong influence over entire Bhind district owing to its geographical proximity to Gwalior. On Monday, the Congress MP is slated to address string of election rallies in Ater (Bhind) where, by-elections are slated to be held April 9.
The reference to Scindia family which evoked sharp response from the Congress leaders in the State, also seemed to have deeply hurt a prominent member of Scindia family, forming seminal part of Chouhan’s council of ministers.
Chouhan’s cabinet colleague, minister of sports and youth affairs Yashodhara Raje Scindia, while talking to journalists in Shivpuri on Saturday virtually went to the extent of an emotional outburst.
While reiterating that she firmly believed the MP CM can never utter such statements, particularly as he has himself closely worked under the guidance of her mother and Bhartiya Jan Sangh founder members Vijayaraje Scindia, the minister vividly described how her mother addressed as ‘Rajmata’ worked selflessly for the party.
“Right from childhood we have seen how amma (Vijayaraje Scindia) worked for BJP’s cause selflessly. My mother was diabetic, but never even cared for festering wounds in her legs while working for party’s cause on the ground,” said Scindia.
“All leaders, including our present CM and other senior BJP leaders like Vikram Verma have worked under the guidance of amma and have drawn inspiration from her. I firmly believe that the CM who has worked under my mother as a young leader can ever make such statements as are being reported in media,” she maintained.
Recounting how her mother even forked out money for buying helicopter for the party, besides funding jeeps for party’s election campaigning, Scindia said “I still remember how the brand new jeeps funded by my mother for the party during elections returned sans wheels and steering wheels after polls,” she said.
Meamwhile, the leader of opposition in the State Assembly, Ajay Singh Rahul, has termed CM’s statements as an “insult to the exalted persona of Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia,” party’s state spokesperson KK Mishra has dubbed it as an insult to all Scindia family members, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and MP minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia, both of who are senior BJP leaders.