Making light of the Congress’ efforts to cobble up pre-poll tie-ups in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Wednesday that outfits that allied with the grand old party have suffered destruction.
“The Congress is a ‘dhokhebaj’ (deceitful) party. Those who had formed an alliance with the Congress had invited destruction [upon them],” Mr. Chouhan said at Maihar in Satna district, around 450 km from Bhopal, from where he launched the second leg of his ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’.
The Chief Minister was reacting to the Congress’ efforts to stitch an alliance with parties such as the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party ahead of Assembly elections due later this year.
‘Remember history’
“You must remember that the Congress had pulled down the Chaudhary Charan Singh government within four months and humiliated him. The Congress did the same with I.K. Gujral and H.D. Deve Gowda [former Prime Ministers],” he said.
Before launching the second leg of the yatra that would cover Bundelkhand, Mahakaushal and Vindhya regions, the Chief Minister, who has been helming the State since November 2005, paid obeisance at the Maa Sharada temple in Maihar.
The first leg of the 75-day yatra was flagged off by BJP president Amit Shah on July 14 from Ujjain after offering prayers at the Mahakaleshwar temple.
Two vehicles have been converted into chariots for the yatra. One of the chariots is being used in central Madhya Pradesh, Malwa and Nimar regions which were covered in the first leg of the yatra, the other chariot is meant for Bundelkhand, Mahakaushal and Vindhya regions.
Mr. Chouhan had embarked on a similar yatra ahead of the Assembly polls in 2008 and 2013.
The opposition Congress, which has been out of power since 2003, has been trying to forge ties with BSP and SP.
State unit Congress president Kamal Nath had announced that his party was ready to align with like-minded parties, especially the BSP, ahead of polls to unseat the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh.
He had met BSP chief Mayawati in Delhi recently.