Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan got the taste of troll after he said “Nothing is permanent in this world; I am leaving, anybody can now sit on CM’s chair,” at a lecture ‘Anand Vyakhyan’ organised by state government’s Anand Vibhag (happiness department) here at Naronha Administrative Academy on Thursday.
Chouhan, who reached the venue late, was in a hurry to attend some other programmes in Jhabua and Alirajpur districts and therefore, while leaving the programme in haste he pointed towards the chair reserved for him on the dais and remarked in lighter vein “I want to leave early, and this would give someone else an opportunity to sit on the chair marked for `Mananiya Mukhyamantri (the honourable Chief Minister).”
As soon as news channels reported the remark, Congress leaders took no time to tear into Chauhan on social media to hit a storm in the politically charged state bound for Assembly polls by the year end. Reacting to the remark, the recently appointed state Congress committee president Kamal Nath told media persons, “Chauhan is realising the reality in the election year. In fact, he is getting frustrated ahead of the election.”
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Ajay Singh took to tweeter to do his bit. He tweeted, “Either Shivraj Singh is going to be removed (from CM’s post) or he has accepted the fact that ‘abki bar-Congress sarkar’ (this time, it will be Congress government).” And, he just didn’t stop there and went on to post two more tweets.
In his first tweet Singh said “Shivraj Singh is remembering filmi dialogues in the election year. You (CM) have rightly said, ‘Never underestimate the power of the common man’. You and your party is ruling Madhya Pradesh for the last 15 years and what have you done for the people of the state.”
The second tweet of Singh lashed, “CM underestimated common man in his 15 years of rule. Now, people have understood your tricks and hypocrisy.” Former state Congress chief Arun Yadav too was not lagging behind in the tweet war. He posted “Due to his work, the CM has now started realising that someone else is going to become the CM. Why did it take so much time to accept this fact, Mukhyamantri ji.”
Following spate of tweets and political hullabaloo, Chouhan hit back and clarified his statement on the social media. He tweeted, “Some friends got happy after joke about the chair reserved for me. At least, my visiting Anand Vyakhyan (happiness lectures) became fruitful.” However, the BJP took the matter a bit more seriously, and sought to scotch the speculation on social media that Chouhan’s remark meant he could be replaced before the Assembly elections which are due this year.
BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who has been rumoured to be the BJP’s face for CM, took to Twitter to clear the air. “The news about the change of guard in state is baseless and rumours. Next election would be contested under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan,” he said.
The BJP government set up the Anand Vibhag in August 2016, inspired by a similar department in Bhutan. The department had organised a `happiness lecture’ by spiritual leader Swami Sukhbodhanand on Thursday.
SHIVRAJ’S ANAND VYAKHYAN
“It is the duty of government to work for happiness of people apart from developing roads, providing electricity and other basic facilities. Neither Communism nor Capitalism are able to provide happiness to people,” said Chouhan addressing the Anand Vyakhyan programme on Thursday. “Initially, everyone criticised the decision of setting up happiness ministry. But now, more than 300 centres in 22 districts with efficient officers are organising scores of activities and programmes to provide the much-needed happiness to people,” he added.
Ajay Singh, Leader of Opposition in Assembly
KICKING STORM: Either Shivraj Singh is going to be removed (from CM’s post) or he has accepted the fact that ‘abki bar-Congress sarkar’ (this time, it will be Congress government)
Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP general secretary
CLEARING THE AIR: The news about the change of guard in state is baseless and rumours. Next election would be contested under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
