Mandleshwar (Madhya Pradesh): With the state assembly elections approaching, all political parties are going all out to lure voters.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is scheduled to visit Maheshwar assembly segment on April 14 to address a public gathering on the occasion of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Jayanti.
Chief Minister Chouhan’s visit to the assembly has become a topic of discussion in the area, with many speculating on some big announcements for regional development.
On the other hand, there is anger among the residents of the area regarding the non-fulfilment of previous announcements by the Chief Minister. Many questioned the attentiveness of public representatives towards the fulfilment of announcements.
From 2010 to 2018, Chouhan made a slew of announcements ahead of the assembly elections that were never followed through. The biggest announcement in 2010 was the establishment of a joint development authority for Maheshwar and Mandleshwar, which is yet to be established.
In order to boost employment in the region, Chief Minister Chouhan announced the establishment of a horticulture hub near Maheshwar in 2013. This initiative was later relocated to Barwani district.
Anger over illegal liquor, slaughterhouses operation
The Chief Minister designated Maheshwar and Mandleshwar regions as holy towns in 2016. In 2017, the sale of liquor was banned in both holy towns. Not only was liquor prohibited, but sale of meat was also prohibited in both towns.
The irony is that illicit liquor is sold in both towns. Along with this, meat is sold from slaughterhouses located in the middle of the town. Because these announcements are yet to materialise, there has been local outrage, which might harm BJP's chances in the assembly elections.
When Free Press contacted BJP’s public representatives and questioned them about the non-fulfilment of promises, they did not have an answer.
Khargone-Barwani member of Parliament Gajendra Singh Patel did not pick up the phone even after repeated attempts, while then MLA Rajkumar Mev instead of answering the question, told Free Press correspondent that he had asked questions during the Question Hour in the state assembly regarding these announcements.
Similarly, Mandleshwar mandal president Devendra Patidar told that four mandals of Maheshwar assembly constituency have jointly decided to place a collective demand letter for the development of the area before the Chief Minister.
These demands include making Maheshwar a district and a lift irrigation project for farmers of the tribal region situated on the southern side of the Vindhyachal range located in the area.
Meanwhile, when contacted, senior Congress leader and MLA Dr Vijayalakshmi Sadho said that the BJP government has insulted thousands of voters by cancelling the approved medical college in Maheshwar.
She said in the last 13 years, the Chief Minister has made it a habit of coming to the area only once before the elections to mislead the voters and to make announcements that have no basis.
