Amid speculation that Shivraj Singh Chouhan could be shifted to the Centre before the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, BJP president Amit Shah said here on Saturday that the tenure of the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister was “till 2019”.
“Chouhan has done remarkable work in M.P. Under his leadership, Madhya Pradesh, once a laggard, has become a developed state,” Mr. Shah told media persons.
Asked how long Mr. Chouhan and State BJP chief Nand Kumar Chauhan will continue, he said, “The tenure of both is till 2019.”
He said Madhya Pradesh had registered an impressive growth rate under Mr. Chouhan’s leadership, especially in the agriculture sector. The State had progressed in all spheres, the BJP chief said, adding there was a good coordination between the government and the party, and central welfare schemes were being run with a great efficiency.
Mr. Shah said his party has not set any rule disallowing its members to contest elections after they turn 75. “There is no rule or tradition in the BJP to forbid leaders to contest polls after they attain the age of 75,” Mr. Shah said.
CM’s prerogative
When it was pointed out that two senior BJP members in the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet, Babulal Gaur and Sartaj Singh, were dropped from the Cabinet in the last reshuffle after they attained the age of 75, Mr. Shah said that it was the CM’s prerogative.
On the issue of Ram temple, the BJP chief said his party wants it to be built after the court’s decision or through mutual understanding. “We want that the Ram temple should be built. It was in our manifesto,” he said.
Checking corruption
He said that to check corruption, the BJP government has capped the donations to political parties to ₹2,000 cash, which was ₹20,000 earlier.
“What couldn’t be done in the last 50 years, we have done. The move to reduce the limit from ₹2,000 cash is aimed at ushering in transparency in political funding,” he added.