Bhopal: The BJP national president Amit Shah’s no-nonsense attitude was visible on the very first day of his visit. A couple of minutes after the state party president Nandkumar Singh Chouhan began a long-winding speech welcoming Shah at the first meeting scheduled for the day at the BJP office, Shah interrupted him. “Bhaisaheb, I haven’t come here to listen to speeches. Don’t bother with debit-credit. I am here to know the balance”, he said. A red-faced Chouhan, who was singing paeans to Shah and describing the wondrous work done by the BJP in the state in great detail, ended his speech abruptly and took his seat.
In the meetings, Shah asked the leaders to speak freely and frankly. “Tell me what is happening in the government and the party organisation”. When he found that some leaders were hesitant to say what they wanted to in view of the presence of the chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other leaders, he encouraged them to speak out their mind.
‘Ministers don’t visit districts’
Organisational leaders complained to Shah that the ministers do not visit the districts in their charge. At the meeting of district presidents and district in-charges, Shah was told that ministers rarely tour the districts. Shah enquired from the district chiefs about the meetings organised during the visits of the ministers. The leaders said party meetings are not organised during such visits. Shah asked them about the working of the party organisation. “I am more interested in the organisation than in the government”, he said.
