"Madhya Pradesh Has 2.5 Chief Ministers": PM Modi's Jab At Congress

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today alleged that Madhya Pradesh's Congress government was in a shambles, with more than one Chief Minister wielding power in the state. "In Madhya Pradesh, a certain party has 2.5 Chief Ministers. The administration doesn't even know whose orders are to be followed. Goons, murderers and dacoits have been given the licence to roam free," news agency ANI quoted him as saying at a rally in  Khandwa constituency. 

The Prime Minister, however, did not elaborate on which leaders constituted the two-and-a-half Chief Ministers in question. In his election rallies, PM Modi has often accused the opposition party of blatantly practising opportunism for the sole purpose of grabbing power. "In any democracy, governments are formed and voted out on the basis of ideologies. However, the ideology of the Congress and Communists is that of opportunism," the BJP's official handle quoted him as saying recently.  

PM Modi then went on to remind the people that the Congress had once banned playback singer Kishore Kumar from the All India Radio (AIR) because he would not toe the government's line. "Kishore Kumar was among the people who refused to fall in line during the Emergency, when every dissident against the government was thrown into jail. But Kishore Kumar refused to buckle under pressure, which resulted in his songs being banned from AIR. If you ask the Congress about that episode now, the answer you will get is 'hua toh hua (it happened if it happened)'," he said, referring sarcastically to Congress leader Sam Pitroda's seemingly dismissive reaction to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots last week.

Khandwa is the hometown of Kishore Kumar, one of the most popular Bollywood singers of all time.

The Prime Minister claimed that there were many other instances where the Congress would just as glibly use the "hua toh hua" remark. "You may remember the Bhopal gas tragedy," news agency PTI quoted him as saying. "Thousands died breathing toxic fumes in Bhopal, and several generations were destroyed. But the man responsible for the tragedy was escorted out of the scene in a government plane. If you question the event now, you will be told: Hua toh hua. People died and still continue to die, but the Congress doesn't care."
        
Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath was granted the chief ministerial position in Madhya Pradesh after the party won the state assembly elections late last year. Jyotiraditya Scindia, a rival contender for the post, was appointed as one of the general secretaries in charge of Uttar Pradesh instead. Another influential party leader -- former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh -- has been fielded against the BJP's Pragya Thakur in Bhopal.

(With inputs from Agencies)