Bhopal: Amid speculation regarding his plans with the BJP, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has emphatically asserted that though he is now referred to as the former chief minister, he is by no means a rejected one. Speaking at an event at the MIT School of Government in Pune, Chouhan expressed gratitude for the enduring love and support he continues to receive from the people, despite stepping down from the top post in Madhya Pradesh.
“I’m now addressed as the former chief minister, but I’m not a rejected chief minister. Many times, chief ministers quit the post when people start abusing them for being in power for too long. But, even after quitting the chief minister’s post, people shout for me and call out ‘Mama’ wherever I go. The love of the people is my real treasure,” said Chouhan, whose popular nickname means uncle.
Chouhan, the BJP’s longest-serving chief minister, emphasized that stepping down from the chief minister post doesn’t imply his departure from active politics. He clarified that his commitment is to serve the people, and his political journey is not driven by a pursuit of positions. Reflecting on his electoral career, Chouhan attributed his success to contesting elections with honesty and humility.
“I don’t speak the language of arrogance. I have won 11 elections but I don’t campaign for myself in the elections. I go to the constituency just a day before filing the nomination when the people of the village come to me with money and a list of contributors. If you contest elections honestly, people will side with you,” he asserted.
Chouhan’s remarks come a month after Mohan Yadav was appointed as the chief minister in Madhya Pradesh, bypassing Chouhan’s bid for a fifth term. Despite the BJP’s significant victory in the state elections, Chouhan gracefully accepted the outcome. Following the election results, Chouhan stated, “While other BJP leaders are going to Delhi, I won’t go to Delhi. I would prefer dying rather than going to Delhi to ask something for myself.”
Chouhan’s recent comments have also included cryptic statements, such as “Sometimes one gets ‘vanvas’ (exile) while a ‘raj tilak’ (coronation) is imminent, but whatever happens, takes place for a bigger purpose.” In another instance, he remarked on the transient nature of political allegiances, stating, “There are also people who change their color if one isn’t the chief minister anymore. They treat his feet like a lotus, but once he isn’t in power, then his pictures disappear from hoardings like horns from the head of a donkey.”
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