BHOPAL: The campaigning for by-elections in one Lok Sabha and three Vidhan Sabha constituencies in the state, which ended on Wednesday, was dominated by non-issues. Words like knickers, paap and punya, dokli, circus, kanya pujan and so on formed the mainstay of the campaigning by the leaders of both the ruling and the opposition party.
Issues like unemployment, skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, lack of health and education facilities, government's track record in handling the Covid pandemic, law and order etc were singularly missing from the campaigning. The leaders hurled abuses and taunts on each other instead of talking about matters that concern the people.
Addressing a public meeting, former PCC president Arun Yadav termed Union Minister Smriti Irani as a Dokri (old woman). Former chief minister Kamal Nath, referring to BJP state president VD Sharma had said that “When I entered politics he (Sharma) used to wear knickers”.
Chief MInister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during election campaign | FP
He also tweeted "Night stay in Jobat by the CM at the house of tribal is not going to wash away the sins of the killings of tribal people in Nemawar, Khargone, Neemuch, Balaghat-Dabra”.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in his public meetings termed the Congress party as a circus and stated that Kamal Nath was out to ruin the career of the members of his party.
Urban development minister Bhupendra Singh Thakur came out in support of Kanya pujan and said that Congress has a 'dirty mindset'.
Congress has negative agenda: Agarwal
BJP leader Rajnish Agarwal told Free Press that the BJP is contesting the bypolls on developmental issues. “The Congress doesn't have any plans for development of the state. They have a negative agenda. They are just criticising the developmental works launched by the BJP for the betterment of the people of the state,” he added.
BJP only talk & talk: Patwari
Former minister and Congress media state president Jitu Patwari, blamed the BJP for sidelining the main issues like fertilizer shortage and others. He claimed that the BJP leaders were trying to lure the voters by announcing various sops for them. "But they only talk and talk. More than 22,000 announcements made by the chief minister are yet to be implemented," he claimed.
