That Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had to function without a cabinet for an entire month due to the absence of a Central nod to the team he recommended is a sad commentary on how the BJP has taken to Congress ways following its exposure to power.
One would have thought that the high command dictation chapter had ended with the ouster of the Congress. Not so. There was never any doubt that Chouhan was the unquestioned supremo of the BJP in the State after his long stint as chief minister before the Congress displaced him under the leadership of the wily operator Kamal Nath.
Yet, he had to reckon with the overbearing ways of the central high command which functions essentially under the tutelage of former party boss Amit Shah who has seemingly made way for J.P. Nadda since mid-January. On Tuesday last, Chouhan undertook his first expansion after assuming office on March 23 following the collapse of the Kamal Nath-led government in the wake of the rebellion by Jyotiraditya Scindia.
That Chouhan was the lone functionary in the new cabinet was all the more surprising because the State like the rest of the country is going through the throes of a medical catastrophe with the coronavirus (COVID-19) in full flow. It is vital now that the new cabinet gets down to the business of governance in right earnest even though there is a cabinet expansion in the offing in coming days. There indeed is no time to waste.
Narottam Mishra, the new health and home minister, who played a crucial role in toppling the Congress government was himself an aspirant for the chief minister’s post. The expected dissidence in the Chouhan government has been held back for now because the bulk of the cabinet would be appointed later, and the other aspirants need to hold their horses until the final list of ministers is out.
Scindia has been rather quiet since the change of government but it is unclear whether he has a portfolio in the Modi government waiting for him. Only relentless pressure on his part will ensure a prize catch for him at the Centre. That aside, this is Chouhan’s acid test. He would redeem himself if he discharges his duties as chief minister with skill and efficiency.
Not only would he be looked upon to reconcile the BJP legislators and the newly inducted former Congressmen who defected to the BJP, there would be challenges galore in restoring growth in the state after the COVID-19 disaster. Chouhan has in the past proved himself up to the task. He can well be expected to deliver results this time around, too.
