'Want to serve people till my last breath': Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Exclusive Interview/ Shivraj Singh Chouhan, chief minister, Madhya Pradesh

THERE ARE SEVERAL names in contention to be chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, but many political analysts feel there is no option other than Shivraj Singh Chouhan taking on the post for a fifth time. Commoners feel the same. “Mama hi banenge na phirse mukhyamantri?” asked the cab driver who took me to the chief minister’s house in Bhopal. Translation: Mama will surely be the chief minister again, right? People call Chouhan mama, maternal uncle.

Inside the house, Chouhan is extremely busy accepting greetings from hordes of party workers and leaders, and meeting media persons on the loop, but, as always, he is cool and composed.

Earlier in the day, Chouhan had visited the busy Nehru Nagar locality in Bhopal to meet his “Ladli Behnas”―the common women. He spent quite some time with them, sitting on the ground answering questions, interacting with kids and eating food offered by the women. The bonding was palpable and the message clear―he had gone to thank them as he credited women for the BJP’s massive win.

He told me that he was confident of a big win because of the reaction of women he had interacted with. Afterwards, Chouhan apologised profusely for being able to give only a short interview. He insisted that I have tea before leaving, even as the next batch of visitors were upon him.

Later that night, Chouhan visited a night shelter, checking the arrangements in view of the cold weather and taking feedback from the occupants. When asked about his bond with the people, he attributed it to his style of functioning: “I did not run a government, I ran a family.”

He also said that he has never been a contender for the post of chief minister and that he would undertake whatever responsibility he was given. Excerpts from the interview:

Q/ Many congratulations. What is the biggest factor to which you attribute this win?

A/ Thank you. Best wishes to you, too. This massive win is the win of every citizen of the state. The win of trust of the people, the win of the faith of youth, and honour and self-respect of the farmers, women and daughters. This is the win of the affection and blessings showered by my ‘Ladli Behnas’. It is the unwavering faith of people in the BJP and the constant development of the state that has created this historic win.

Q/ What does this win mean for Madhya Pradesh?

A/ Madhya Pradesh will now move forward towards development with greater speed. Under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi ji, the double-engine government of the BJP will establish new milestones of progress and development. This win encourages us to fulfil targets of development and people’s welfare with greater responsibility.

Q/ Am I speaking to the current and future chief minister of Madhya Pradesh?

A/ I have never been a contender for the CM post. Actually, I have never made a claim on anything. I am never among those who ask for things like... make me this, make me that. I do the work delegated to me sincerely. And of course, the decision in this regard rests with the party. I will undertake whatever responsibility is given to me wholeheartedly.

Q/ The party and you personally, too, did a lot of hard work. But did you expect such a big win?

A/ Yes. I was fully confident that we would achieve our objective. The BJP works with a mission. The aim of each party worker is welfare of society and the country. Our workers have worked extremely hard. We had confidence in our work. We did what we said―we made all efforts to change the picture of the state and the destiny of the people, and the people have accepted this.

Q/ You always said that there was pro-incumbency in the state. What made you so confident?

A/ Wherever I went for a public meeting, a huge crowd would be present, including mothers, sisters and children. Sisters would hug, caress my head and shower affection. They would do rituals to ward off evil eyes and say ‘apan jeetenge bhaiya... apan jeetenge’ (we will win brother, we will win). These were their words. They did not say you will win, the BJP will win. They said we will win, which meant they had included themselves in our vision. The affection, love and blessings were incomparable. The public meetings, road shows would continue late into the night, yet people would wait on the roads. This strengthened our resolve to win and filled me with self-confidence.

Q/ You have a special bonding with people, especially women. How did that happen?

A/ This is not a recent bonding. This is the result of years of hard work, commitment to people and working by considering the entire state as a family. I did not run a government, I ran a family. My childhood was in a joint family. That imbibed the right morals in me. I felt respect for sisters and daughters right from a young age. The injustices meted out to women would shake me up; I would feel their pain. When I first became CM, I made many decisions in favour of women, which changed their lives positively. I am really proud to be the brother of 1.32 crore women (Ladli Behna beneficiaries) and mama of lakhs of nieces and nephews.

Q/ What is the secret behind the energy required for constantly being among people?

A/ The worthiness of human life is in serving fellow beings. The opportunity to serve the people of the state fills me with resolve to do my best. And then the almighty gives me the required strength and energy to fulfil the resolve. It is the grace of God that I am able to serve people and I wish to serve them till my last breath.

Q/ With this win, it seems like Madhya Pradesh has become the next Gujarat for the BJP.

A/ Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat have always been bastions of the BJP. Within the first decade of the BJP’s establishment in 1980, the party had formed a government in Madhya Pradesh. And since 2003, it is a veritable fortress for us. The BJP workers are disciplined and work diligently for the party constantly. The objective of the BJP is not only to form the government but also to serve people, and this is the reason we have constantly got their love and affection.

Q/ What do you feel should be the priority for the new government in the state?

A/ We have done marvellous work in all sectors and left no stone unturned for people’s welfare and the development of the state. We will move forward with the same responsibility. Our priorities are increase in farmers’ income and new opportunities for youth, along with education, health and employment. We are committed to one employment/income generation activity for every family. We will make our sisters ‘lakhpati didis’ (annual income of at least Rs1 lakh) and set up CM Rise schools in every block for the children. We will procure wheat at Rs2,700 and paddy at Rs3,100 per quintal from farmers and take the irrigation capacity to 65 lakh hectares.

Q/ There is a lot of talk about the state reeling under debt. Will the cash-based schemes like Ladli Behna be practical in the long term?

A/ Despite being in debt, we have never curtailed expenditure for welfare work. None of the development works have stopped, they are constantly being completed. I have always said that there has never been a dearth of money for welfare work or development. We are working for the people, and money will never be an impediment in that. I never cry about lack of funds like the Congress.

Q/ Do you expect that women will continue to be in focus for the next government?

A/ The BJP has always given half the population of the state its due rights. Only the BJP can ensure protection of respect and honour of women.

Q/ What is the significance of this result at the national level?

A/ The victory hat-trick in three states is the guarantee of a hat-trick in 2024. People have blessed the BJP wholeheartedly. These results have established ‘Modi hai toh guarantee hai’ (Modi means guarantee). People have completely rejected the opposition alliance and the Congress. They have given a clear message that only the BJP, which gives transparent good governance, can ensure welfare of the state and the country.