MP elections: INDIA alliance stuck in Congress quagmire, says Shivraj

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday alleged that Congress has turned into "daldal" (quagmire) and the INDIA alliance has stuck in it as he demanded "clarification" from the party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Chouhan's comments come against the backdrop of a spat between Congress leader Kamal Nath and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over the failed electoral tie-up in Madhya Pradesh.

A day before, Yadav alleged that Congress had stopped the caste census and implementation of the Mandal Commission report in the past.

“I want to ask Priyanka ji that SP and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which are parts of the INDIA alliance are fighting against each other in Madhya Pradesh assembly polls. It is like friendship in Delhi and wrestling in states,” Chouhan told reporters at Singrauli.

Polling for 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh is scheduled for November 17 and votes will be counted on December 3.

“The alliance partners are only cursing Congress and saying it is not a reliable party,” he added.

He said the Congress has turned into "daldal" (quagmire) and the INDIA alliance is stuck in it.

Yadav had termed Congress a "chalu party" (cunning) which "cheats" people and said the SP committed a mistake by relying on it, Chouhan said.

"When nobody (in the opposition bloc) trusts Congress how can people in Madhya Pradesh believe in that party?" the senior BJP leader asked.

He also asked MP Congress president Kamal Nath to "clarify" his age.

"Yadav had yesterday remarked on how an 80-year-old man will recognize someone. He (Nath) had told former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in a programme that he is 72 years old. Nath must clarify his real age,” Chouhan said.

He hit back at Gandhi Vadra for questioning the contribution of the BJP government to the welfare of farmers.

"The prime minister and the chief minister (referring to himself) are paying 'Samman nidhi' to cultivators and have made arrangements for irrigating their land. (Crop) loans are provided to tillers at zero per cent interest rate," Chouhan said.

What did the government led by your party (Congress) do for farmers when it was in power? They didn't even waive farm loans,” he said targeting Gandhi Vadra.

Chouhan alleged Gandhi Vadra had made a "false statement" that the BJP government had provided "only 21" jobs in Madhya Pradesh, which he said was akin to opening "a shop of lies".

“You should not have lied so much. I only distributed 50,000 appointment letters in MP,” Chouhan added.

Gandhi Vadra is visiting poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on Monday to address two public meetings in Dhar district and Indore.

Addressing a rally in the Jatara constituency in Tikamgarh district on Sunday, Yadav had said both the Congress and the BJP have started talking about a caste census and reservations to woo the "pichhde (backwards), Dalits and Adivasis (PDA) sections”.

The SP and the Congress are part of the opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) but the two parties are fighting the MP polls separately.

Yadav and Nath spat earlier over the lack of an alliance for the MP polls, with the former claiming such behaviour on the part of the Congress could lead to repercussions in UP.

Talking to reporters on the issue, Yadav said, “He (Nath) is an elderly leader and we respect him. Probably, he has forgotten that we (Samajwadi Party) are their ally and this is not his mistake as it could be due to his old age.” Nath will turn 77 on November 18.