Bhopal
A decision by the state government to distribute more than 10 lakh sarees among tendu leaves plucking women has the Congress fuming and accusing the government of doing a vote politics with an eye on Mungaoli and Kolaras assembly seats by-polls and also 2018 assembly elections.
A piece of advertisement was issued on February 7 by MP Laghu Udyog Nigam, an agency meant for procurement of articles of requirements of the government departments, to invite tenders to supply 10.50 lakh synthetic sarees. The sarees will be distributed by MP State Minor Forest Produce Federation.
It’s first time when the state government will be distributing sarees among women engaged in plucking of tendu leaves.
Federation’s move goes in sync with chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s announcements he had made during his Dil Se radio programme a few months back. Earlier, CM had announced giving of slippers and shoes to the tendu leaf plucking people.
Leader Opposition in the state assembly Ajay Singh has questioned the timing of the issuance of the advertisement when polling for Mungaoli and Kolaras assembly seats is scheduled on February 24.
“This shows how desperate chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is to win the by-polls in Mungaoli and Kolaras assembly constituencies and also assembly elections in November this year. This also shows the CM has no good governance to showcase before people but he wants to win elections with the help of such gimmicks like distribution of sarees’, said Ajay Singh to media persons on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}“This shows how desperate chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is to win the by-polls in Mungaoli and Kolaras assembly constituencies and also assembly elections in November this year. This also shows the CM has no good governance to showcase before people but he wants to win elections with the help of such gimmicks like distribution of sarees’, said Ajay Singh to media persons on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}Ajay Singh alleged saree distribution was going to prove another scam in Madhya Pradesh during the BJP regime. A saree worth Rs 70-80 will be purchased for Rs 350-400 and thus there would be a huge scam once again in the state.
Additional managing director of MP Minor Forest Produce Federation Bhagwat Singh said expenses on sarees could be ascertained only after receiving the tenders. However, as far as its quality was concerned the quality would be looked into as per the norm fixed by a textile committee of the central government.
He said the saree distribution process might begin in April or May this year.
State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said the Congress was in habit of seeing a scam in every state government’s scheme. The state assembly election was far away but Congress had linked the government’s scheme with assembly election too. It showed the frustration of the Opposition which wanted to damage the reputation of the CM in any manner in a desperate bid to win elections.