Lambasting the West Bengal Chief Minister over the Kolkata rape-murder case, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said that Mamata Banerjee will have to face the consequences.

In an interview to IANS, the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, spoke on various topics including the rape and murder case of the trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical and Hospital in Kolkata and Jharkhand politics given the coming Assembly polls in the state.

IANS: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been frequently writing letters to the Prime Minister, over the rape and murder case of a trainee doctor in Kolkata. What is your take?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Mamata Didi has become stone-hearted. I cannot understand how, as a woman, she can speak in such a manner when so many daughters are suffering. They are trying to suppress the issue.

First, the parents were falsely informed that their daughter was sick, and then they were told she committed suicide. No FIR was filed for hours, and later, evidence was destroyed while the police stood by. This is the height of injustice, and this cruelty will not last long. The entire country is hurt, and women are feeling insulted in West Bengal. Mamata Didi will have to face the consequences.

IANS: You are in charge of Jharkhand for the Assembly polls and recently, Champai Soren has joined the BJP. So, if the BJP comes to power, will he be made the Chief Minister?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Champai Soren has not set any conditions for leadership. He has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party to save Jharkhand. He has ignited a revolution against the way outsiders are taking over land and resources in Jharkhand. He is working towards a larger goal, but now he is a respected leader of the BJP.

IANS: Champai Soren is famous in his Santhal region mainly. So, is there any strategy of the BJP to garner votes from people of non-Adivasi communities and other Adivasi communities?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Strategies are never revealed. Champai ji is not alone, the BJP has strong leadership across all sections. We are all working hard, and you can be sure that the BJP will win with a thumping majority.

IANS: Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of Lakhpati Didis since the scheme was your concept. Other states have also copied the scheme, how do you see this?

Shivraj Singh Chouhan: Not just in Madhya Pradesh, but across the country, our Prime Minister has pledged that women will not remain poor. The goal is to help them earn an annual income of one lakh rupees. So far, one crore women have become Lakhpatis, and we aim to make three crore women Lakhpatis, which we are working towards.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The Madhya Pradesh State Women’s Commission, established to protect and empower women, has been left in a state of disarray, with more than 50,000 complaints pending and no one to hear them. The Commission, which has been defunct for years, has become a symbol of administrative neglect in the state.

A visit to the Women’s Commission office in Bhopal reveals a grim picture. In the parking lot stand vehicles covered in dust, marking the inactivity that has plagued the commission for years. Inside, piles of files are scattered everywhere, a few even hanging on the nameplate outside the chairperson’s room — a room that has seen no occupant for years.

Since 2020, the commission has had no benches, no staff and no chairperson to address the grievances of women across the state. The previous chairperson, Shobha Ojha, was appointed by former Chief Minister Kamal Nath just before his government collapsed.

Her appointment, along with those of other members was cancelled by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, which held them unconstitutional. The commission has since been non-functional, leaving thousands of women without a voice.

“When I took charge, there were 12,000 cases pending. The court gave us the right to work, but the BJP government locked us out, preventing us from doing our duty. Women are being tortured, and their right to justice has been taken away,” said Shobha Ojha, a Congress leader and former chairperson of the commission.

The commission typically receives an average of 3,000 complaints every year. With no one to address these grievances, the number of pending cases has ballooned.

Women across Madhya Pradesh are suffering in silence, with no recourse to justice. Every day, 28 women and three girls go missing in the state. Between July 2021 and May 31 this year, 28,857 women and 2,944 girls were reported missing.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Madhya Pradesh ranks fifth in the country for crimes against women, with 32,765 FIRs registered in the state.

The situation has sparked outrage among activists and legal experts. “If cases are listed now, it will take seven more years to resolve them. The state must take immediate action to address this backlog and ensure justice for these women,” said Sapna Sisodia, an advocate.

Shilpa Kaurav, the in-charge of the Mahila Police Station in Bhopal, has brought to light the significant challenges faced by women seeking justice in Madhya Pradesh. In a candid conversation, she highlighted the difficulties that arise when cases involving women’s rights and safety are delayed or mishandled due to the inactivity of the Women’s Commission.

Ms Kaurav explained that when a complaint is lodged with the State Women’s Commission or even at the national level, the commission often requests reports from the police after conducting their investigation. “Yes, sometimes cases come to us where, if a complaint has been made in the State Women’s Commission or even at the national level, they ask for a report from us after the investigation, or they also ask us for information to understand what action is being taken or not,” she said.

Despite the mounting crisis, the state government has offered little reassurance. “Whatever the system is, it will be restructured according to the needs. The system will be made soon,” said Jagdish Devda, Deputy Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, offering a vague promise of future action.

The Madhya Pradesh State Women’s Commission was formed in 1998 with the mandate to safeguard women’s rights and interests. The Commission has seven members—six non-governmental and one governmental—who hold ministerial status. However, with more than 50,000 complaints now packed away in dusty files, the Commission’s very purpose is being questioned.

Ramgarh (Jharkhand):

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday criticised Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for replacing tribal leader Champai Soren as Chief Minister, alleging that the move was driven by a desire for ‘dynastic control’.

Speaking in Ramgarh, Mr Chouhan accused Mr Soren of prioritising the interests of a single family.

“What was the fault of Champai Soren? You made him the Chief Minister, you could have let him continue, but you removed a tribal Chief Minister. Just because you want to have the hold of just one family…,” Mr Chouhan said.

Meanwhile, during his visit to Ramgarh, Jharkhand, the Union Minister interacted with locals, who shared that while housing approvals under the rural housing scheme have been granted and the installments received, they are still facing issues due to the “policies and corruption of the Soren government in Jharkhand”.

The locals further said, “the sand, which should cost Rs 3,300, is now priced at Rs 5600, making it unaffordable. This significant increase in the price of materials like sand and bricks is creating difficulties in constructing their homes”.

On July 4, Hemant Soren was sworn-in as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in Raj Bhavan, Ranchi.

Earlier in the day, Mr Chouhan said that significant change in Jharkhand will be seen in the upcoming assembly elections, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) poised to form a government by defeating the “corrupt, dishonest, and chaotic” current government.

“Now the biggest thing is that the real change will happen in the Assembly elections, the corrupt, dishonest, and chaotic government will go and the BJP will come,” Mr Chouhan said.

Speaking during his visit to Ramgarh, Chouhan emphasised the BJP’s commitment to ending the misrule of the coalition government in Jharkhand. He highlighted the state’s vast potential and called Jharkhand a “wonderful state.”

“I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to come to this holy land of Jharkhand. It is our resolve to end the misrule of the coalition government here. It is a wonderful state and has tremendous potential. The soul of the BJP is our ideology – the philosophy of integral humanism and workers are our life,” Mr Chouhan said.

Mr Chouhan also shared his experiences of visiting and having breakfast with party workers, stating that these interactions brought him great joy.

Further slamming the current government in Jharkhand, the Union Minister said that the state is in very bad condition and the “coalition government is destroying and ruining Jharkhand”.

“The situation that I have seen and the things that the party workers have told me, Jharkhand is in a bad condition; it’s loot everywhere. Seeing this fills my heart with pain. This coalition government is destroying and ruining Jharkhand. This is a government that has not fulfilled a single promise,” Mr Chouhan said.

Mr Chouhan expressed concerns over increasing infiltration in Jharkhand, warning that it jeopardises the state’s future. He promised that the BJP would end the current misgovernance and establish effective governance once again.

“Our workers are filled with enthusiasm. The people are living in a chaotic situation, and they have made up their minds to uproot this coalition from Jharkhand and bring in the BJP,” Mr Chouhan said.

During his visit, Mr Chouhan also engaged with women of Self Help Groups (SHGs) at a panchayat secretariat in Ramgarh. He praised their efforts towards realizing Prime Minister Modi’s vision of ‘Lakhpati Didi’ and acknowledged PM Modi’s initiative to build houses for extremely backward castes.

“Women are working very hard to fulfil PM Modi’s vision of ‘Lakhpati Didi’…PM Modi decided to build houses for extremely backward castes…” Mr Chouhan said.

Meanwhile, in the village of Sugia, a group member proudly showcased handmade brass utensils, mentioning that they fetch a good price in the market. During this time, Lakhpati Didi Sushila presented the Union Minister for Rural Development with a handmade traditional Jharkhandi cap.

The floor test of the new government in Jharkhand, led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who took the oath of office for the third time on Thursday, will be held on July 8 during a special session of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly.

Mr Soren, on June 28, was released on bail in a land scam case after spending around five months in jail.

Champai Soren resigned from the post just five months after taking the oath, setting the ball rolling for Hemant Soren to again take over the role on Wednesday. Champai Soren took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Jharkhand in the Raj Bhavan on February 2 this year.

Hemant Soren was released from the Birsa Munda Jail on June 28 after nearly five months following bail from Jharkhand High Court in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He had resigned as Chief Minister before his arrest on January 31.

He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January on charges related to an alleged land scam and money laundering. Earlier on December 29, Hemant Soren took the oath as Chief Minister of Jharkhand as the 11th Chief Minister of Jharkhand.

The event was termed as ‘Sankalp Diwas’ by mark the beginning of an era of new Jharkhand.Hemant Soren’s return as CM will bolster the JMM, which won three seats in the tribal-dominated state of Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha elections.

In 2019, JMM fought the assembly elections in alliance with the Congress and Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and got a comfortable majority with forty-seven seats in the 81-member house.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh:

Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath has taken a pot-shot at Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan saying that people of the state have decided to give him a warm farewell.

Kamal Nath made the remark while addressing an election rally in Kareli in Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur district on Wednesday.

“Wherever I go, I see that people have decided to give Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan a warm farewell. Shivraj Singh’s 22,000 announcements and his announcement machine was running at double speed in the last five months. The battery of the announcement machine is going to run out soon. If he did not lie every day, his food would not get digested,” Kamal Nath said.

He further said the picture of the state was in front of the people.

“Today, the picture of the entire state is in front of you (Public), how the state has been ruined. Ruined Agriculture system, ruined education facility, ruined health facility, ruined industry facility, ruined economy facility, ruined law and order situation, ruined Panchayat system and ruined rations facility. How much can I say? This ruined state is in front of you today,” the former Chief Minister said.

Kamal Nath also said that the biggest challenge he saw was the future of the youth of the state as there were one crore unemployed youth in the state.

“I look towards the youth of the state; the biggest challenge I face today is the future of these youth. Today’s youth does not want any contract or commission; he wants an employment opportunity. These youths will build the future of the state in future. If the future of these youth remains in darkness, then how will the state be built? This is the biggest challenge. One crore youth are unemployed in Madhya Pradesh,” Kamal Nath added.

Madhya Pradesh is one of the five states set to hold elections this year. The state is scheduled to undergo polls in one phase on November 17 and the counting of votes will take place on December 3. Voters will choose legislators from 230 Assembly constituencies.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Indore:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday compared Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with former India cricket caption Mahendra Singh Dhoni who is known as one of the greatest finishers in world cricket.

Addressing an event in Indore, Rajnath Singh also hailed the BJP candidate from the Indore-1 assembly constituency for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, Kailash Vijayvargiya and called him Hardik Pandya of the politics of the state.

“I have called Shivraj ji ‘Dhoni’ (Mahendra Singh Dhoni). It doesn’t mean how it started, he knows how to win after a great finish. If Shivraj ji is Dhoni, Kailashji is Hardik Pandya of Madya Pradesh politics,” Rajnath Singh said.

Rajnath Singh inaugurated the election office of Kailash Vijayvargiya, in Indore.

“BJP has formed government for the last two decades in Madhya Pradesh…We have ruled for a long time. No one can deny the fact that 17-18 years ago Madhya Pradesh was known as ‘Bimaru Rajya’ and it is BJP and Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s government that has done the work of taking it out from ‘Bimaru’ state…” Rajnath Singh added.

He further said that when Congress leader Kamal Nath was in power, the Central Government had sanctioned eight lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana, but the then government returned 2 lakh houses.

“Today, when the whole of India, including Madhya Pradesh, is ready to take a new leap, it is very important to form the BJP government again in these assembly elections,” Rajnath Singh said.

He further said that to promote investment here, not one but four investment corridors are being constructed.

“Madhya Pradesh has been called the heart of India. I believe that if Madhya Pradesh is the heart of India, then Indore is the heartbeat of that heart. And if there is anyone who is the heartbeat of this Indore, then your popular candidate is Kailash Vijayvargiya,” he added.

Kailash Vijayvargiya is the BJP candidate from the Indore-1 constituency for the November 17 MP assembly elections. He is pitted against sitting legislator and Congress leader Sanjay Shukla.

Madhya Pradesh is one of the five states set to hold elections this year. The state is scheduled to undergo polls on November 17 and the counting of votes will take place on December 3. Voters will choose legislators from 230 Assembly constituencies.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A day after Congress leader Digvijaya Singh slammed Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for organising ‘kanya puja’ at his home, the BJP leader hit back and said that the veteran has “stooped too low” by making a demeaning remark. 

Shivraj Singh Chauhan had organised ‘kanya puja’ at his home in Bhopal yesterday – the last day of Navratri.

While talking to reporters yesterday, Digvijay Singh called Mr Chouhan’s move “dramatic.” ” Let’s not talk about the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, I have not seen a person who is more dramatic than him.”

Lashing out at Digvijaya Singh, Mr Chouhan today said that those who call women “items” can not understand his gesture. “I worship daughters. I wash the feet of daughters and sisters. Digvijaya ji, you have stooped too low in your fight against the Sanatana Dharma,” he said on X – formerly known as Twitter.

He asked Congress Chief Mallikarun Kharge and former party president Sonia Gandhi to clarify their stand on ‘kany puja’. “I ask Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, are you against ‘kanya puja’. Please clarify your stand,” he said.

बेटियों की पूजा, सनातन संस्कार है।

कल पूरा देश बेटियों की पूजा कर रहा था, पाँव पखारे जा रहे थे, कन्या भोज कराये जा रहे थे और मैंने भी की; मैं प्रतिदिन बेटियों की पूजा करता हूँ।

मैं बहन, बेटियों के पाँव पखारकर उस जल को माथे से लगाता हूँ, जिसमें पवित्र भाव हो, भारतीय संस्कार… pic.twitter.com/tktqbCsHyu

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) October 24, 2023

More than 300 girls were present for ‘kanya puja’ celebrations at Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s home yesterday.

“Today I am very happy that the girls have come here and we see goddesses in them. In Indian culture, the status of daughter, sister and woman has always been very high. Where the women are respected, God resides there.”

Mr Chouhan and his wife showered flower petals on girls, washed their feet and served food to them.

Bhopal:

Congress leader Kamal Nath today mocked Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan over not being the face of the BJP’s election campaign in Madhya Pradesh. Mr Nath, a former chief minister, said that whenever Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the state, Mr Chouhan involves him in his “lies”.

“That is why he (PM Modi) has excluded you from the entire election campaign. You are the first Chief Minister in this country, who is the Chief Minister but is not the Chief Minister’s face,” Mr Nath wrote on X, formerly Twitter, hours ahead of PM Modi’s visit to the state today.

The BJP will decide on the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister’s post only after the elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier said when asked if Mr Chouhan will continue in the top post.

“Lying Machine”

The “double speed of your lying machine” has troubled both the Prime Minister and the people of Madhya Pradesh, said the post addressing Mr Chouhan.

PM Modi will today address BJP workers in Bhopal to mark the culmination of his party’s ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatras’ ahead of the year-end assembly polls in MP.

Hours before the mega event, Mr Nath posted a list of Mr Chouhan’s “lies”.

“You told him (PM) in Rewa that the farmers’ income has more than doubled, but NITI Aayog report showed that the income of Madhya Pradesh farmers had decreased,” alleged Mr Nath.

In Bhopal, he said, Mr Chouhan handed a wrong leaflet to the Prime Minister that said the petrol price was less than Rs 100 per litre in Madhya Pradesh. He alleged the Chief Minister also lied over gas cylinder prices in his state.

“When the Prime Minister visited Sagar district, you made him say that the Congress government did not pay attention to Bundelkhand whereas the UPA government had given a special Bundelkhand package of Rs 7,200 crore,” added Mr Nath.

Bhopal:

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath on Sunday doubted whether the money would be transferred to beneficiaries of the ruling BJP’s flagship Ladli Bahna Yojana on the scheduled date “this time”, a claim dismissed by the BJP as misleading.

Under the scheme, the government transfers Rs 1,250 to the accounts of beneficiaries on the 10th of every month.

After initially announcing to provide Rs 1,000 to beneficiaries of the Yojana, Shivraj Chouhan later said the moeny is being raised to Rs 1,250 and it will be subsequently taken to Rs 3,000.

“Sisters, I heard that this time the 10th (date) is not coming,” Kamal Nath posted on X on Sunday night.

Taking a swipe at the state government’s advertisements, Kamal Nath said after wasting crores of public money for the last four months in the name of “Das Tareekh Aa Rahi Hai” (10th is coming), this time Shivraj government is taking a “U-turn”.

“Das Tareekh Aa Rahi Hai” is the phrase used in the state government’s advertisements.

“This time the date 10 is not coming in the calendar of the BJP government. As this scheme of the government is just a means to cheat votes, similarly their 10th also turned out to be a trick,” Kamal Nath alleged.

Kamal Nath asked why Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan spent people’s hard-earned money running into crores on advertisements just to remind the date for four months.

A day before, Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan announced that unmarried women above 21 years of age would get Rs 1,250 per month as assistance under Ladli Behna Yojana.

At present, there are 1.31 crore beneficiaries of this scheme.

When asked about Kamal Nath’s claims, state BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal said the money is transferred under this scheme after a Cabinet decision was taken as per the law.

“The Congress has a long history of cheating people so Kamala Nath is seeing the same and creating doubts to mislead the people. The people know the truth of Congress,” Rajneesh Agrawal said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday unveiled a 108-feet statue of Adi Shankaracharya, 8th-century Vedic scholar and teacher, in Omkareshwar.

Here are 5 points on Adi Shankaracharya’s statue: