BJP poll managers left no stone unturned to take mileage of being in power at center, state as well as in the city in the backdrop of hosting a divisional level workers’ convention at Shahnai Garden, here on Saturday evening. The event was scheduled at 6.30 pm and the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for Assembly Elections-2018 was enforced on the same day at 3 pm, but it was evident that it hardly batohered the BJP managers. Rather they were rather engaged in appeasing their bosses, though the turn-out of workers at the convention was less than the expected 6000 workers.
Despite knowing that Shahnai Garden belongs to Ujjain Development Authority, the BJP managers chose it as a venue of the workers’ convention. To participate in the event, party national president Amit Shah arrived in the city along with CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in a helicopter. From helipad to the event venue, huge cutouts, boards, hoardings etc were erected on the government property and public places and all such political publicity materials remained intact till filing of this report.
At the dais, publicity of Union government’s flagship programmes was also prominently made by the event organisers, which remained talking point among the observers. After inauguration of event, the media persons were asked to leave the venue. Though 50 to 60 percent seats were occupied by the expected party workers, rest seats were either fulfilled by unknown persons or remained vacant.
Those present on the dais included BJP national general secretaries Kailash Vijayvergiya and Anil Jain, vice-president and MP in-charge Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, state president Rakesh Singh and organising general secretary Suhas Bhagat among others. The programme began with Vandematram recital. Prior to it, city BJP chief Vivek Joshi and attendees sang party’s song. Programme was compeered by Anil Jain Kaluheda while vote of thanks was proposed by Bahadur Singh Mukati.
Quota opponents register symbolic protest
Meanwhile, the police detained about three dozen workers of SAPAKS, Rajput Karni Sena and Samanta Andolan who wanted to show black flags to BJP national president Amit Shah. Soon before arrival of Shah at Shahnai Garden, the said activists assembled near Cosmos Mall and while shouting slogans took a protest march, but before they can reach near the venue police detained them and took them away in police lories. They had worn caps, were furling black flags and also carried banners and placards. They were protesting against enforcement of ‘amended’ SC-St Prevention of Atrocity Act, 2018.
Controversy mars Mahakal darshan
After conclusion of the workers convention, BJP chief Amit Shah along with CM and more than 12 senior and local leaders reached Mahakaleshwar Temple at around 8 pm for darshan and pujan of the presiding deity. Common darshanarthis were restricted to enter the garbh grih and even the nandi grih for about 15 minutes so as to facilitate the VVIPs. CM was seen wearing BJP dupatta at the time of worshipping the Mahakal Jyotirlingam. As all this happened after enforcement of the Model Code of Conduct in view of Assembly Elections-2018 and as such the Mahakaleshwar Temple is governed by the Government of MP, observers said that such acts may invite controversies.