New Delhi: In recent weeks, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has faced several embarrassments. The CM has been trying to position himself as a pro-development, pan-India leader for the Other Backward Classes (OBC), aiming to fill the gap left by popular leader and former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Yadav’s struggle highlights the tussle between the old and the new guard of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.
On Friday, two of Madhya Pradesh’s senior-most MLAs Gopal Bhargava and Bhupendra Singh walked out of the Bundelkhand Regional Industrial Conclave in Sagar ahead of CM Yadav’s speech because proper space had not been made for the two leaders on the stage, according to reports.
A photo of the two ministers of the Shivraj Singh Cabinet leaving in one car, with Gopal Bhargava sitting in the front seat and Bhupendra Singh in the back, went viral on social media. This was particularly noteworthy because there had been reports of differences between the two Bundelkhand leaders in the past.
The chief minister mentioned the absence of both leaders in his speech.
After their departure, the minister and MLA from Sagar, Govind Singh Rajput and Shailendra Jain, were seen with the CM. The fact that Rajput remained with the CM in the centre throughout the programme also further miffed Bhargava and Singh.
Anger over BJP minister’s statement
In another incident, Minister of Education Rao Uday Pratap Singh created a furore with his statement on the regularisation of guest teachers in Madhya Pradesh schools.
In 2023, ahead of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, Shivraj Singh Chouhan as chief minister promised to regularise guest teachers and double their salary during a mahapanchayat attended by 68,000 guest teachers. However, this has not happened and guest teachers have been protesting since 10 September.
On 18 September, in a statement that was criticised by the protesting teachers and the Opposition, Uday Pratap said, “Why will they be regularised? Guest teachers have been named guests. If you are a guest, you cannot capture a home.”
Now Union minister for Agriculture, Shivraj Singh Sunday assured guest teachers that he would press the government to fulfil their demands. The incident exposed differences over honouring commitments made by the previous government.
Differences grow among BJP leaders
In another case of infighting in the BJP, four party leaders attacked Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment and senior BJP leader Virendra Khatik for appointing Lokendra Singh, a former Congress candidate, as the MP representative for his Tikamagarh Lok Sabha constituency.
Former minister Manvendra Bhanwar Singh at a press conference last week said, “This Congressman has created hurdles in the work of BJP MLAs and we have complained about the working of the Union minister point person.”
His statement was supported by BJP MLA Lalita Yadav, who alleged that “Union ministers should not appoint such a person who worked in election as polling agent of Congress. Every MLA is facing problems with Virendra Kumar.”
Former MLAs Rahul Lodhi and Rakesh Giri also supported Manvendra Singh’s accusations in a statement.
In response, Khatik said, “I have stopped the illegal work of a few people and that is why they are making such allegations. If imported people start making such allegations, then we don’t require certificates on if our workers are criminals. It’s the work of the administration to act. If such complaints reach the PM’s office, it’s good.”
After controversy reached the CM’s office, state party president V.D. Sharma called Lalita Yadav and other leaders asked them not to attack each other in public, sources said.
Rakesh Giri told ThePrint, “I was a candidate in assembly elections and the person who fought against me was appointed MP representative by the Union minister, that is why we raised the issue.”
In another verbal spat, Rewa MP and BJP leader Janardhan Mishra, on 15 September, criticised BJP MLA Siddharth Tiwari’s grandfather Sriniwas Tiwari, a prominent Brahmin leader of the Congress.
At the inauguration of a bridge in Rewa on 15 September, he said, “The condition of the road used to be very pathetic during the time of Sriniwas Tiwari. During his time, he did not even repair a pothole even though he is worshipped as a God in the state. Tiwari used to practise politics of terror, fear, loot, gundagardi (hooliganism) and corruption.”
Tiwari’s grandson objected to this. He said, “It is not right to comment on my grandfather Sriniwas Tiwari who sacrificed his life to serve people, he doesn’t need a certificate from any one for his work.”
Siddharth told ThePrint, “I have only raised the point of what people think about my grandfather Sriniwas Tiwari who during his lifetime always served people and that is why people regard him in high esteem.”
Siddharth joined the BJP before the Assembly election in 2023 in the presence of Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He was the Congress Lok Sabha candidate against Janardhan Mishra in 2019 in Rewa. Although Mishra defeated Siddharth, after the latter became an MLA on a BJP ticket, the fight to maintain the supremacy of Brahmin leadership in the Vindhya region has resulted in verbal exchanges between the two leaders.
Lack of cohesion between imported and old cadre
Former BJP leaders and political experts say that the differences have arisen from a lack of cohesion between the old party members and the new inductees.
One of BJP’s former ministers in Madhya Pradesh told ThePrint, on condition of anonymity, “There are multiple reasons for growing cases of infighting in the party’s state unit. The first reason is despite 10 months of governance, Mohan Yadav has not made appointments to the boards and nigams in the state.”
“Many leaders who were not included in Cabinet or those who were denied tickets and those who were inducted from the Congress before the polls are waiting for their share of power,” he added. “Narrotam Mishra who was the chairman of the new joining committee, inducted 2.58 lakh people into BJP before Lok Sabha poll. Around 90 percent were from Congress, now they will be included on boards and as chairmen. Those who belong to the original cadre feel cheated and have become disenchanted.”
“Plus, in the Cabinet, 10 ministers of Shivraj Singh Chouhan, like Gopal Bhargav, Bhupendra Singh, Brijendra Yadav and Usha Thakur, didn’t get a chance—they are feeling ignored.”
Former minister Ajay Bishnoi said, “During the Lok Sabha elections, a whole lot of leaders were inducted into the party without verifying their credentials. Now the old cadre thinks that imports are gaining prominence at their cost and it has created resentment among the cadre.”
“In many cases, the BJP did not benefit from importing leaders. For example, in Jabalpur, the BJP inducted Ekta Thakur from Congress and the BJP got 5,000 fewer votes in the Sihora assembly constituency. Similarly BJP inducted Nikesh Awasthi from Congress in Patan, but in Lok Sabha, the BJP vote was reduced by 2,000. It means that merely importing leaders from the Congress did not help the party but annoyed the cadre more.”
Political analyst N.K. Singh said, “The real issue is that the original cadre has been feeling like it is being ignored at the cost of the new cadre.”
“This started after (Jyotiraditya) Scindia was inducted in 2020. Many of the leaders like Dipak Joshi, Rustom Singh, Virendra Raghuvanshi, and Bhanwar Shekhawat left the party for this reason. The BJP may have received temporary electoral benefits from inducting leaders from the Congress, but in the long run, anger is growing among the cadre which can boomerang, like in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha elections. These reflections show that the old cadres are not able to digest the rise of the new import. In Rewa MP Janardhan Mishra’s outburst against Sriniwas Tiwari’s son was a reflection of such growing conflict between the two.”
Another former BJP minister, said, “Shivraj has gained the respect among party leaders over the long run of his tenure. He used to call any leader who was annoyed or even reached the residence of a dissident leader to mollify him. Yadav has to learn from him to accommodate the old and new party leaders and create a balance between the two. And how to balance competing interests.”
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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