Mr. Scindia answered questions on by-elections to fill 24 vacancies in Madhya Pradesh (File)
Bhopal:
Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose supporters have achieved big results in the expansion of the Madhya Pradesh cabinet today, announced his return to the forefront of state policy after months of silence and speculation with the one-liner : “Tiger zinda hai“.
The BJP leader, recently elected to the Rajya Sabha, also attacked Congress, his 19-year-old party until his resignation in March.
“It is our duty to fight injustice. Even if it means war, then Jyotiraditya Scindia will be on the front lines. For the past two months, people have been trying to tarnish my character. I want to tell them – tiger abhi zinda hai” he said, borrowing a popular Hindi film title.
Mr. Scindia answered questions about the by-elections to fill 24 vacancies in the Madhya Pradesh assembly. Twenty-two seats became vacant after the departure of congressmen loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia, overthrowing the government of Kamal Nath and allowing the takeover of the BJP. Two other deputies died.
After Mr. Scindia joined the BJP, MPs followed him until the party. Eleven of them were rewarded today with ministerial posts in Madhya Pradesh. But they must win the by-election to guarantee their membership.
“Every election is a challenge. But the people of Madhya Pradesh are a knowledgeable group. The 15-month government (congress) has seen all kinds of corruption and breaking its promises. We now have a BJP government led by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has We have always believed in public service. We are convinced that we will win the 24 seats. My people will give an appropriate response to the corrupt government, “said Mr. Scindia.
The silence of the 49-year-old leader in the past three months has sparked much speculation, including rumors that he “regretted” the move to the BJP.
During this time, negotiations continued for positions in the government, and both Mr. Chouhan and Mr. Scindia pushed their loyalists.
The postal dispute delayed the firm’s expansion and Mr. Chouhan continued with a thin five-member firm amid the challenge of the pandemic.
Mr. Scindia finally got his way and Mr. Chouhan was forced to live with fewer of his candidates in his new team.
Mr. Scindia has 11 candidates in the BJP cabinet, compared to only six in the previous Congress government.
