Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Sunday launched an attack on the Congress and asked if Congress is ‘Mohabbat ki Ducan’ or ‘Dhamki ki Ducan’.
Poonawalla’s remarks come on the heels of Senior Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath’s warning to the MP’s Niwari district administration where he said to take action while thinking about the coming five years.
As reported by ANI, Poonawalla said, “Is the Congress party ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukan‘ or ‘Dhamki Ki Dukan‘? This is not the first time, before this, many times Kamal Nath threatened the officers from the stage.”
BJP spokesperson asserted that this shows how much arrogance there is in the Congress party. “They have this kind of behaviour without being in power, so just think what they will do if they come to power. The Election Commission should take action on this,” he added.
Earlier on Saturday, Kamal Nath was addressing a public rally in Niwari where he said that no one would escape consequences for their actions, adding, “I want to tell this to the administration of Prithvipur and Niwari, whatever you are doing, listen to it carefully, the day will come after tomorrow and what is to be done will be decided by you (people) and me.”
Congress leader further said, “No one will be spared, six more days are left, do whatever you want to, but you also have to spend the next five years.”
It’s worth noting that this is not the initial instance in which the Congress leader has issued warnings to the district administration.
In January, Kamal Nath issued a caution to district officials and police personnel in Niwari, asserting that they would be held responsible within eight months. He further accused the police of engaging in excessive force and filing false cases.
The Madhya Pradesh assembly, consisting of 230 members, is scheduled for a single-phase election on November 17.
The upcoming Madhya Pradesh Election in 2023 is expected to witness a closely contested battle between the BJP and the Congress. In addition to these two major parties, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have also nominated their candidates for the state polls.
Earlier on Saturday, the BJP unveiled its manifesto for the Madhya Pradesh elections. The party pledged to offer free ration to the underprivileged for the upcoming five years and provide LPG cylinders to women at a cost of ₹450.
Additionally, the BJP committed to establishing the Madhya Pradesh Institute of Technology and the Madhya Pradesh Institute of Medical Sciences if it secures victory in the state. Another key promise from the BJP is the provision of 100 units of electricity for ₹100.
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Madhya Pradesh boasts a total of 5.6 crore voters spread across its 230 constituencies. Among these, 2.88 crore are male voters, and 2.72 crore are female voters.
Notably, a significant 22.36 lakh individuals will be exercising their voting rights for the first time in this election.
Following the 2018 elections, the Congress party, led by Kamal Nath, assumed power in Madhya Pradesh, marking its return to governance after a 15-year hiatus.
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However, in March 2020, Jyotiraditya Scindia and the legislators aligned with him resigned from the Congress and joined the BJP. This move resulted in the Kamal Nath-led government losing its majority, leading to its collapse. Subsequently, the BJP, with Shivraj Singh Chouhan returning as chief minister, formed the new government in the state.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 12 Nov 2023, 12:39 PM IST