Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh, Congress State President Jitu Patwari with party candidate Rajkumar Patel during an election campaign for Budhni Assembly bypoll, in Sehore district, Madhya Pradesh, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
Budhni (MP): Congress general secretary in-charge of Madhya Pradesh Bhanwar Jitendra Singh on Tuesday accused the BJP of making "false" promises for the sake of garnering votes and said the saffron party conveniently forgets all assurances after assuming power.
Seeking votes for the Congress candidate in the Budhni assembly seat, where a bypoll will be held on November 13, he said his victory will ensure development of the high-profile constituency in Sehore district.
"The BJP misleads people by serving lies for garnering votes. After getting mandate, it conveniently forgets all promises it had made to people," Jitendra Singh said while addressing a rally in the Budhni assembly segment.
The Budhni segment fell vacant after sitting MLA and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan resigned from his traditional seat following his election to the Lok Sabha from Vidisha. Chouhan, currently the Union Agriculture Minister, has represented Budhni in the assembly multiple times as the BJP MLA.
The Congress has fielded former state minister Rajkumar Patel from Budhni against BJP candidate Ramakant Bhargava, a former MP from Vidisha.
Terming Patel as a "true soldier" of the Congress, Jitendra Singh said he is a local resident and "if you vote for him and make him an MLA," then people will definitely witness development of the constituency.
Addressing the rally, state Congress president Jitu Patwari said the people of Budhni have given a chief minister to the state (Chouhan), but no development has taken place in the constituency.
"Women rallied behind him (Chouhan) for getting respect and youth for getting jobs, but not even 20 persons got jobs," the Congress general secretary emphasised.
Patwari said during the last assembly polls, the BJP had promised to give Rs 6,000 per quintal for soybean, Rs 3,100 per quintal for paddy, Rs 2,700 per quintal for wheat to farmers and Rs 450 for an LPG cylinder, but people have got none of these.
Instead of turning agriculture into a profitable venture, the BJP has made farmers debtors, the MPCC president said, adding it promised to give jobs to youths, but turned them into drug addicts.
Speaking on the occasion, former chief minister and Congress stalwart Digvijaya Singh alleged that the BJP never practices what it preaches.
There is an "atmosphere of chaos" in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country, claimed the Congress veteran.
The former CM alleged women are not safe in the state, farmers are being "cheated" and the BJP is playing with the future of youths.
Slamming Chouhan for "neglecting" Budhni, former Union minister and Congress leader Arun Yadav said despite serving as the chief minister for nearly 20 years, no development took place in his constituency where roads are full of potholes.
Congress candidate Patel, who was victorious from Budhni in 1993, had contested unsuccessfully against Chouhan in 2006. From 2006 to 2023, the voters of Budhni steadfastly remained loyal to Chouhan, who first won from the seat way back in 1990.
The Budhni bypoll's result will be declared on November 23.