Madhya Pradesh Minister Removes Kurta, Washes Himself At BJP Event. Reason Is...

The BJP's Vikas Rath yatra in Madhya Pradesh was held up on Tuesday by an unexpected hitch. It appeared that someone had sprinkled itching powder on a state minister, Brajendra Singh Yadav, at a public meeting.

The yatra was passing through a village in the minister's assembly constituency Mungaoli when this happened.

So acute was the itching that the minister had to remove his kurta and wash himself with bottled water. Videos recorded by some in the audience have gone viral on social media.

Two days ago, another Vikas Rath was stuck on a rickety road as it was travelling through a village in Khandwa district. It triggered an acrimonious exchange between local BJP MLA Devendra Verma, who was leading the yatra, and a former sarpanch or headman of the village.

In a video that was widely circulated, the ex-sarpanch was seen asking the MLA the need for a Vikas (development) Yatra, given that the government could not even sanction a three-km road in the area.

"We considered the Congress to be bad. But you (the BJP) are worse than the Congress. Give us proper roads, or else we won't vote for you," the man said in the video.

"Don't vote. It is your right," the MLA retorted.

The Vikas Yatras were flagged off by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday and will continue till February 25.

BJP leaders say the statewide marches are aimed at spreading the state government's development mantra across the state. In course of this campaign, the government plans to launch development projects and reach out to the beneficiaries of various schemes, the party said.