Madhya Pradesh Political Punch: Damage Control, Pain In The Neck, MLA’s Dance & More

Damage control

A minister of the state cabinet is in damage-control mode these days. Several allegations were being levelled against him because some of his close associates were involved in a case. A leader of the ruling party, who has a rivalry with the minister, is creating an atmosphere against the latter. Once, the situation had come to such a pass that the danger of losing his chair was hovering over the minister. Now, the minister has put in all his strength to remove the allegations that tarnished his image. The minister has launched a campaign. Through the campaign, he is administering an oath to women. The minister wants to prove that he is also the protector of Hinduism. The entire campaign is run to please the RSS bosses, and prominent leaders of the BJP are called to the events associated with the campaign. The minister’s purpose is to get rid of the allegations that stained his reputation in the past few days. A few days ago, he went to Delhi and gave clarifications to a powerful BJP leader.

Delhi trips

The head of the state’s trips to Delhi and his meetings with the party’s senior leaders have become a matter of discussion. He met twice with the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister in the past few days. It is said that there was some government agenda behind these meetings. But it is difficult to believe that the meetings were held only to discuss the government agenda. People in the corridors of power say the meetings may have been related to the administrative head of the state. Besides the Prime Minister and Home Minister, the head of state often meets two other central leaders. His bond with one of the two ministers is old and strong. Similarly, he is on good terms with another central minister. He often converses with these two ministers – sometimes for official reasons and sometimes for other reasons. The names of both these ministers are doing the rounds for the post of BJP’s national president. This is another reason for the head of state’s frequent trips to Delhi. But it is hardly possible that political agendas do not come up in the talks between two politicians. This is the reason that many people are trying to find the political agenda that may have figured in the talks between the head of state and the party’s central leaders.

Politics and festivities

Politicians celebrate festivals with a political purpose. The state recently saw a similar situation. Two politicians celebrated Janmashtami at their residences with great enthusiasm. One of them celebrated the occasion during the day, and the other did so at night. Like every year, the most powerful house in the state celebrated the festival. But there was a difference: the former head of state used to celebrate the festival at night, and his present counterpart did so during the day. All the politicians seen in the house during the reign of the former head of state were also present there this year, too. On the other hand, when the festival was celebrated in the house of the former head of state at night, but for a few, most of them were absent. Though a few leaders went to the house of the former head of state, they feared lest they should be seen in the photograph. This was the reason that soon after the function.

Straight talk!

The straight talk by a minister surprised an officer. The minister called an officer recently posted in his department to his chamber. The officer thought the minister may have called him to discuss some issues concerned with the department. The officer met the minister with full preparations. The minister clearly told him that he had nothing to do with the routine work of the department. He then gave some names to the officer and told him not to disturb them. The minister said to the officer he was not honest and made all his expenses through these officers, so they should not be disturbed at any cost. The minister also told the officer that if he wished, he could also get backhanders, but a part of it should reach him on time. As the officer was sitting in front of the minister, he kept playing along with what his boss was saying. But he was in a dilemma over what to do.

Pain in the neck

The post of District Congress Committee president has stuck in the throat of many leaders of the party. The situation has come to such a pass that they can neither gulp it down nor can they spit it out. Such leaders could hardly imagine that he might get the party’s command in districts. The supporters of these leaders thought their bosses would one day become the party’s state unit head or the chief minister of the state. About a Congress leader, it was said he would get some responsibilities at the national level. After they became district presidents, they did not know how to react to what happened to them. The leaders of such a high stature have been brought to the same platform with those who had to wait for hours to meet them. The leader is so unhappy that he cannot even express his pains in front of others. The legislators, who have been given the command of the districts, have decided to leave the chair before the election in the name of contesting it.

MLA’s dance

A former minister and now a sitting MLA of the ruling party from the Bundelkhand region is known for his serious nature. On Krishna Janmashtami, he organised a function where he invited an eminent Bhajan singer to drench the crowd in devotional songs. Just as he began to sing, the lawmaker was in a trance. Being oblivious of his surroundings, he began to shake his legs. And then, he stood up from his chair and danced. Because the lawmaker was not a skilled dancer, his wrong steps kept the audience in splits. The legislator, known for his serious nature, surprised the audience, but one must remember that in every man a child is hidden that wants to play and the former minister was no exception. Perhaps, this is the reason that people in India worship Lord Krishna as a divine child. On the other hand, a minister in the state cabinet, who is also a rival of the MLA, failed to generate as much enthusiasm at another function on Janmashtami as the former minister did. 

Published on: Saturday, August 23, 2025, 08:45 PM IST