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Journalism of Courage
ADDRESSING HIS last public rally as part of the campaign run for the forthcoming Madhya Pradesh polls, in which he is fighting his hardest battle yet to beat the fatigue factor against him, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan stressed on his government’s flagship Ladli Behna scheme. He called it a “life changer” for women.
“When I announced the Ladli Laxmi yojana in 2006, were elections there? I had pain in my mind after seeing that my daughters were seen as a burden. Sons were welcomed, and when daughters arrived, the faces of their mothers would drop. Many times daughters were killed in the womb,” the CM said.
He asked: “Has any government ever deposited money into your account before?”
Chouhan also assured that if the BJP government is formed, those women who are left out will be added to the list of beneficiaries of the Ladli Behna Yojana through a portal.
Attacking the Congress, he said: “These Congress leaders say that the hike from the Rs 1,250 (for Ladli Behna) will be stopped. Am I Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, that I will stop it? I am Shivraj Singh Chouhan. I don’t lie. I do what I say.” In August, Chouhan announced the scheme’s hike from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,250.
The gravity of the election for Chouhan can be gauged from the fact that the CM has so far addressed 165 rallies, sometimes over 12-13 rallies per day.
Initially sidelined by the central leadership, and fighting for political space with three Union ministers and one national general secretary in the fray, Chouhan fought his way back by relying on the monthly Rs 1,250 stipend for women from poor families.
Acting on a complaint from the Congress, the Election Commission on Wednesday told the Madhya Pradesh CEO to make sure no campaigning takes place after 6pm on Saturday, that is 48 hours before polls close on November 17. Chouhan addressed the public at 5:30.
