SHIVRAJ SINGH Chouhan’s maiden visit to Rajgarh, Dhar, as Chief Minister failed to enthuse the party workers as he could spare only 10 minutes for them while he remained closeted with the head of Mohankhera Peeth (Rajgarh), Reshab Chandra Vijayji Maharaj for over 40 minutes. The seer performed special pooja for the Chief Minister.
Perhaps the looming challenge of election at Budhni propelled the Chief Minister to spend such a long time with the influential Jain Swetamber Muni, who was hitherto seen as being pro-Congress what with many a senior Congress leader, including Sonia Gandhi, Digvijay Singh, Jamuna Devi (a regular visitor) calling on him.
Incidentally, this was the first time that a BJP Chief Minister called on him. Babulal Gaur, too, had tried to visit the seer twice, but on both occasions the programmes had to be cancelled.
Chouhan, too, realised that his short visit had left the workers disappointed and after profusely apologising to hundreds of party workers who had been waiting patiently for him for over three hour, he said that he did not count this as a visit.
“I will come another time, when you all decide the date and tell me,” he announced. In his short address, which lasted no more than five minutes, he kept saying that for him a ‘real’ address to the party workers was only when it lasted more than one hour.
{{/usCountry}}“I will come another time, when you all decide the date and tell me,” he announced. In his short address, which lasted no more than five minutes, he kept saying that for him a ‘real’ address to the party workers was only when it lasted more than one hour.
{{/usCountry}}“It takes me at least 15 minutes to warm up,” he explained, much to the amusement of the congregation. He said that Madhya Pradesh was a BIMARU state before the BJP came to power, but in the two years they had made it a developing state, and he promised that within the next three years the State would rank as a developed state.
He assured the party workers that irrigation was priority for the government, and that was why Rs 1900 crore had been sanctioned in the budget.
“Bring whatever irrigation project you have, I will get it sanctioned,’’ he promised. He also inaugurated the Rs 4 crore Mahavir Sarovar Project and the Rs 5.83 crore Govindpura Water Project.
With a tight scheduled, (he was supposed to come at 1.30 pm but landed at the helipad at around 4.35 and left for Bhopal at 6 pm) and with so many programmes to take part in, it was no surprise that everywhere it was a race against time.
He was to inaugurate and inspect a Gaushala at Mohankhera run by the Mohankhera Peeth Trust, but all he could really do was to cut the ribbon and then rush around - first quickly worshipping the cows, visiting their shed, inaugurating a water fountain inside the Gaushala and wrapped up everything within five to seven minutes. He also inaugurated an eye hospital, but did not have time to enter the premises.
He cut the ribbon at the gate, gave some photo ops and then rushed to meet Reshab Chandra Vijayji.