BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Congress today launched "Jan Jagran Yatra" to counter a mass outreach campaign undertaken by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
On a day Chouhan launched the second leg of his "Jan Aashirvad Yatra" ahead of the assembly polls due later this year, state Congress unit president Kamal Nath said the CM's campaign would end up as a "Vidai Yatra" (farewell tour) for him and the BJP government.
The Congress' yatra would follow the same route to be taken by the chief minister during the "Jan Ashirwad Yatra" that took off from Ujjain on July 14.
Addressing a gathering at the launch of the Congress' public awareness campaign at Tarana town in Ujjain district, Nath said, "Chouhan's 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra' would prove to be a 'Vidai Yatra'.
"The people of Madhya Pradesh are very simple in nature and innocent, and they will give him (Chouhan) a farewell with love. During my entire political career, I never witnessed such a poor condition in every sphere of life like the one in Madhya Pradesh these days," he said.
Nath reiterated Congress president Rahul Gandhi's promise to waive loans of the farmers within ten days if the party is voted to power.
"The people of the state can see through the false promises and announcements made by Chouhan. Madhya Pradesh tops the list of states of farmers' suicide, crime against women, unemployment, corruption, malnutrition etc," he said.
He said the farmers were always "humiliated" under the BJP government and even faced the court cases over their inflated electricity bills.
"The development of the state government is restricted only to the advertisements while in reality there is hunger and thirst... Every section of the society is suffering and unhappy with Shivraj Singh's government," he said.
Earlier today, Chouhan launched the second leg of his "Jan Ashirwad Yatra" after paying obeisance at famous Maa Sharada Temple at Maihar town in Satna district.
The first leg of the 75-day Yatra was flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah on July 14 from Ujjain after offering prayers at the famous Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the 12 jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
Two vehicles have been converted into chariots for the Yatra.
One of the chariots is being used in central Madhya Pradesh, Malwa and Nimar regions which were covered in the first leg of the Yatra, the other chariot is meant for Bundelkhand, Mahakaushal and Vindhya regions.
Chouhan had embarked on a similar yatra ahead of the assembly polls in 2008 and 2013.