Shivraj breaks Digvijaya's record as longest serving MP CM

BHOPAL: Within the next 48 hours, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will break the 12-year-old record of AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh and emerge as chief minister with the longest tenure in Madhya Pradesh. In a state where chief ministers have held office for as short as 12 days and 26 days, Chouhan becomes the second after Digvijaya Singh to complete ten years in office.Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh completed a decade in office in two terms from December 7, 1993 to December 8, 2003.
In 2005-6, Digvijaya Singh often claimed that BJP would never be able to give a stable government as it had changed three chief ministers (Uma Bharati, Babulal Gaur and Shivraj Singh Chouhan) in three years from 2003 to 2005. In the state assembly, Digvijaya Singh representing Raghogarh assembly seat as an MLA often teased Chouhan and claimed, “Pappu paas nehi hoga”. Singh called Chouhan `Pappu’ because the sitting chief minister was only 47 years old and much younger to the Congress leader.
But on Sunday, Pappu will not only complete ten years in office after having won two assembly elections for the party in his own strength, but will make new record over Digvijaya’s tenure. Now Chouhan will be chief minister with longest term in office followed by Digvijaya Singh in the second place. TOI on Saturday asked chief minister Chouhan if Digvijaya Singh’s Pappu has passed his examination.
“I have always appreciated and respected leaders of Opposition parties especially seniors. Digvijaya has his own ways of speaking and expressing views. It is not for me to decide whether I have passed the examination. I leave it to the people of my state determine that,” Chouhan said. “When I took charge of office, I sincerely wanted to implement the concept of the welfare state at the ground level. Roads, infrastructure, power, water resources were my priority areas to provide the basics of welfare to the people.”
Chouhan argued that when the BJP came to power in 2003, irrigation facilities were spread across 7.5 lakh hectares. “Today, 36 lakh hectare of land is under irrigation. Power generation has reached 15,000 MW and growth rate is in double digits. Four years ago, food production was 166 lakh tonnes and this year it has been 450 lakh tonne. We grow more wheat than Punjab and Haryana,” Chouhan claimed.
He said that per capita income of Rs 13,000 has reached Rs 59,000 and dacoits have been eradicated from the Chambal terrains. “Centre has also acknowledged that the state is no longer naxal affected. It is true that crimes against women are unfortunate as the state records high number of sexual assaults. That is why we gave 50% reservation for women in local civic body polls, 50% reservation for recruitments of women in education sector and 33% in all other departments including the police force.”
Asked what he intends to change in the state’s governance in the future years, Chouhan said he is not happy with the education and health sectors. “I want to work in these sectors because I know that our students are intelligent and ambitious but don’t have the required infrastructure to build their talents. We are also aware that health sector needs improvement and while medicines are distributed free of cost in government hospitals, our efforts will be to provide free chemotherapy and dialysis for needy patients,” Chouhan explained. He also said that the pattern of agriculture needs to undergo change which his government is working on.
In the end, Chouhan who is chief minister of state since he was sent by the party high command on November 30, 2005 said, “Much more needs to be done. But I am satisfied that we have been able to bring Madhya Pradesh to this level.”