Opinion The slow,steady,sobre BJP face
Unlike the BJPs other CM Narendra Modi,he rarely makes headlines for his antagonistic speeches.
When Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan won generous praise at the BJPs recent national meeting,it was difficult to imagine even his potential rivals squirming in their seats. For some reason,despite his rising profile,the low-profile leader who wears humility on his sleeve is not seen as a challenger.
Soon,Chouhan will complete seven years in office. While some of that has do with the declining fortunes of rival Uma Bharti,the fact remains that the 53-year-old CMs social initiatives and inclusiveness have left the Opposition scrounging for issues to personally target him.
Unlike the BJPs other CM Narendra Modi,he rarely makes headlines for his antagonistic speeches. Within hours of his suggestion in December 2010,for example,to do away with the Rajya Sabha as it no longer served its purpose,he had issued an apology.
Having once headed the ABVP,Chouhan is known to don the skull cap should the occasion demand and hosts iftar parties. Its not for nothing that his party draws parallels between him and Atal Behari Vajpayee. In 2010,in fact,Sushma Swaraj had held up Chouhans government as a model of sensitivity,as opposed to Modis model of good governance. Within the party too,he faces no serious challenge. That includes from Kailash Vijayvargiya,a Cabinet colleague,and state unit chief Prabhat Jha,despite their frequent disagreements.
The Congress charge of Chouhan having surrounded himself with ambitious relatives and of using public money for self-projection have not stuck so far. The dumper case in which he was accused of doling out a mining lease and getting a personal favour for wife Sadhna Singh who,incidentally,is much more ambitious remains his Achilles heel. He got a clean chit after a Lokayukta probe but the case has reached the high court. His proximity with elements perceived to be corrupt has also tainted his tenure somewhat.
Milind is a senior assistant editor based in Bhopal
milind.ghatwai@expressindia.com
Share
