Opponents? campaign hurt me: Chouhan

LASHING OUT at the Congress for its complaints against him for violation of the model code of conduct, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Central Government ministers Kantilal Bhuria and Suresh Pachauri had also canvassed in Budhni assembly constituency with fleets of vehicles.

LASHING OUT at the Congress for its complaints against him for violation of the model code of conduct, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Central Government ministers Kantilal Bhuria and Suresh Pachauri had also canvassed in
Budhni assembly constituency with fleets of vehicles.

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The CM said his opponents, including Uma Bharti, were united to stop him (from winning the election). For, they knew that since he was doing his job well their future would be bleak. Nonetheless, he added, since he was confident about his victory he did not make an issue over violation of the code by these leaders.

Talking to the Hindustan Times during his padyatra, Chouhan admitted that he could not respond well to his opponents’ campaign against him.

He said there was no bar on the ministers visiting the constituency. It was also true that a good number of workers who had affection for him came to Budhni but since his opponents were hell-bent upon opposing him on frivolous grounds, he asked the workers not to visit the constituency without the party’s permission. He said he also asked the workers canvassing for him to move on foot and use bicycles for electioneering.

They should use motor vehicles only when  necessary. Chouhan said he decided to undertake padyatra because he was pained to see the flood of complaints against him as a part of design to thwart his march to winning the election. He decided upon it only a couple of days back. People close to him tried to dissuade him from doing so but he wanted to give a befitting reply
to their campaign through padyatra, added Chouhan.

“I was deeply pained to see the way they got together to stop me. I was fed-up of hear the words from them —  “dismiss him”, “Remove him”, “Disqualify him” on almost every issue. Is this the manner to oppose anybody? Am I a criminal?” he asked with a tinge of bitterness in his voice. 

Chouhan said they made all-out efforts to see that elections were not held in his first six months’ tenure but they could not succeed. Hence, they attacked him through complaints. 

Chouhan said the Congress’s bigwigs were wading through dust in the constituency. The Congress workers were present in a large number. But they did not have any issue for the election. Their one-point agenda was to stop him anyhow.

They made power supply to the constituency a big issue but the fact remained that as many as 116 grids in the State were supplying similar amount of power.

He said the deferment of polling  hurt him because he would lose ten days time  which he would have used for development of the State.