Bhopal: Agriculture minister Gaurishankar Bisen, who has a penchant for courting controversies, clashed with Balghat MP Bodh Singh Bhagat at a function at Balaghat on Wednesday. Things came to such a pass that Bhagat publicly termed Bisen a ‘chor’. The audience at a function organized to mark three years of Modi government were left bemused as the duo exchanged expletives on the dais with ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ banner in the background.
“What do you think of yourself”, both asked each other. And, the bickering started. Bisen asked Bhagat as to why he keeps targeting the state government and the party. Pat came the reply, though a bit intemperate, that left Bisen flying off the handle. “I am a minister. You should mind your language while talking to me”, Bisen said. That was when Bhagat came up with the ‘chor’ word.
The dispute began when Bisen was addressing the function. A farmer from the audience interrupted his address and started saying something. At that time, Bisen was praising Hindustan Copper Limited, which had set up a plant in the area. The farmer said that farmers had not gained anything from the plant.
“They have not given employment to locals and smoke from chimneys and pollutants being discharged from the plant are harming crops and destroying fields”, he said. The farmer also said that ‘duplicate’ fertilisers and pesticides were being sold in the district.
Bisen immediately asked cops present on the spot to “catch hold of that man and lock him up”. The police complied and the farmer was whisked away from the venue.
In his speech, which followed Bisen’s, Bhagat defended the farmer and said that he was in agreement with him. Bhagat said that a factory was useless if it fails to provide employment to locals. He also raised the issue of poor quality seeds and fertilisers. He said that despite being blacklisted for selling poor quality seeds, Yahodha Seeds Company has been once again allowed to sell its products.
The district co-operative bank chairman, who was present at the spot, said that the ban had been re-imposed. After Bhagat’s speech, the two clashed in full public view.
Old foes
This is not for the first timed that Bhagat and Bisen have made a spectacle of themselves. A couple of months back, infuriated at not being invited to speak, Bhagat climbed up the dais of a function and snatched the mike. Addressing the collector, he said, “You should remember that there is not one leader in Balaghat. There are others as well”. He went to say that “Only one Vibishan was enough to get ‘sone ki Lanka’ ablaze’.
