Narmada drive begins sans Shivraj Singh Chouhan rivals'
The chief minister has sought to woo farmers by announcing subsidies for undertaking plantation by them in their agriculture fields.
Bhopal: The ongoing campaign to clean Narmada, launched with much fanfare on December 11 by Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has so far roped in saints, scholars, social activists and political leaders of all hues barring a few BJP heavyweights considered CM’s rivals, raising eyebrows in the ruling party.
Almost one-and-a-half months into the drive, christened as “Narmada Seva Yatra”, several senior BJP leaders of the state, including three Union ministers, have failed to turn up in the mega event so far giving an impression in public that they have been sidelined in the show. Notable among the BJP stalwarts who were conspicuous by their absence in the campaign so far included Union ministers Uma Bharti, Anil Dave and Thawar Chand Gehlot, BJP national vice-president Prabhat Jha and party’s national general secretary Kailash Vijayvar-giya — all of them are considered a threat to Mr Chouhan’s position.
The chief minister, however, tried to underplay the issue cropped up several times during the campaign by reiterating that “everyone will join the yatra”. The campaign, scheduled to end on May 11 this year, has already covered six districts building a religious fervor along the bank of Narmada with introduction of “Narmada aarti” on the lines of famed “Ganga aarti”. The chief minister has also sought to woo farmers by announcing subsidies for undertaking plantation by them in their agriculture fields.
He has also declared to impose prohibition in five-km zone along the river bank, apparently to win support of women. The 144-day-long yatra is proposed to cover 3,344 km along the bank of Narmada passing through 76 out of total 230 Assembly constituencies. Significantly, the unfolding events during the campaign, aimed at creating awareness among people to make Narmada pollution free, have provided handle to the Opposition Congress and his detractors in the BJP to attach political motive to it.
They are of the firm belief that he sought to consolidate his position in the ruling party and refurbish image of the BJP ahead of 2018 Assembly elections by undertaking the yatra.