Be restrained while speaking in public, BJP warns Ministers

After adverse remarks against the bureaucracy in Madhya Pradesh by two Ministers close to Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently left the BJP leadership red-faced, the party has instructed all Ministers to be restrained while speaking in public. 

“Within our organisation, we have a system in place where if one has to say something, they can say that at the party forum,” said party State president V.D. Sharma on Monday.

The statement comes a day after a meeting of the party’s top brass in the State with the district presidents and other State-level office bearers, where reportedly the statements made by Mahendra Singh Sisodia and Brajendra Singh Yadav were discussed. 

These statements made last week come at a time when there are speculations about a Cabinet reshuffle and there’s a newfound bonhomie between Mr. Scindia and the party’s senior leader from Indore, Kailash Vijayvargiya. As the Minister duo’s displeasure came to light, the Opposition Congress claimed that there was a rift between various groups within the BJP over taking control of the State leadership.

Earlier, it was Rural Development Minister Mahendra Singh Sisodia who called Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains “arrogant” and blamed him for “autocratic administration” last week.

Mr. Sisodia, who is the guardian Minister of Shivpuri, was unhappy at the transfer of some inspectors that Shivpuri Superintendent of Police made without informing him and the protocol officer being absent at another event he was attending. While he officially communicated his ire to senior officers, he singled out Mr. Bains for such decisions.

Soon after this, through letters to the State Co-operative Societies Commissioner as well as the Ashok Nagar Collector, Public Health Minister Brijendra Singh Yadav sought action against an officer for alleged irregularities in appointments in the district. However, unlike Mr. Sisodia, he did not make any statement in the media.

While Mr. Sisodia later said that the matter was over and he had no complaints anymore after meeting Chief Minister Shivraj Sjingh Chouhan, Mr. Yadav is yet to reveal his next course of action.

Such statements against bureaucrats, including Mr. Bains, the top bureaucrat of the State who is considered close to Mr. Chouhan, was an indication of the Ministers’ anger towards the whole system and signs of “change in leadership”, the Congress theorised.

Narendra Singh Saluja, a Congress spokesperson, said that the Minister was being used as a prop by Mr. Scindia to reclaim his influence on the Gwalior region after he was ignored in the mayoral election candidate selections. “Such statements and new videos that are surfacing indicate that there is an upheaval in Madhya Pradesh BJP and a major political change is in the offing,” he said.

In the past fortnight or so, the BJP had to face several situations where statements that were not conforming with the ‘party line’ were made, and not necessarily from those close to Mr. Scindia.

Party veteran Sitasaran Sharma has opened a front against the administration in Narmadapuram, accusing the Electricity Department of harassing people over recovery of outstanding power bills.

Similarly, MLA Narayan Tripathi, who was in news recently for his comments on local body elections and has been critical of the government on many occasions, expressed concerns over mining at a sacred spot in Chitrakoot.