New Delhi: From suspending a district supply officer publicly for alleged negligence in the delivery of the Ujjwala scheme, to dialling the police chief to suspend the Jhabua SP, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has apparently been shedding his amiable persona for that of a hard taskmaster in the past few weeks.
Fondly called Mama (uncle), the chief minister is going all out — often publicly — against those civil servants and police officers who are accused of not delivering services, especially if these are public welfare schemes.
Consider this: On Wednesday morning during his review meeting of Sheopur district, he reportedly warned the district collector that he had received complaints regarding the delivery of foodgrains at the doorstep in villages. The collector informed him that 11 FIRs had been lodged and four arrests made.
Chouhan told the collector and the district superintendent of police to act against those allegedly involved in irregularities. “I will not spare anyone who is effecting corruption in the distribution of rations,” he said, adding that the district supply officer (DSO) was presenting an incorrect picture. The CM went on to suspend the latter midway through the meeting.
On 24 September, Chouhan reportedly asked Collector Ratnakar Jha about progress in the delivery of central schemes at a meeting with officials and the public in Dindori district, held as part of a programme called the Mukhyamantri Jan Seva Abhiyan. “The last date [of the programme] is 31 October. If anyone is left in your district, I will not hesitate to suspend you,” he warned.
The CM also called Dindori DSO T. R. Ahirwar onto the dais and sought explanation for why the target of enrolling 70,000 people under the Ujjwala scheme from January to September was not met. Unsatisfied with the answer, he suspended the DSO right on the dais in front of thousands of people present at the meeting. Chouhan scolded the officer to a huge round of applause by those present at the rally.
Launched on 17 September, the Jan Seva Abhiyan aims to facilitate the enrolment of beneficiaries under two dozen schemes and to plug loopholes in their delivery.
Another DSO met with the same fate at a Jan Seva Abhiyan event in Jhabua district on 25 September. DSO M. K. Tyagi was summarily suspended after many people complained that they were not getting rations in their villages.
In Chhindwara, Chouhan warned the DM and the district health officer on 23 September to identify every eligible beneficiary for the Ayushman Bharat to ensure their e-health card, “otherwise I will not hesitate to take action”.
Jhabua SP Arvind Tiwari also faced heat after a video went viral in which he purportedly abused polytechnic students who had sought protection after a brawl in their hostel. When the video came to his notice, Chouhan on 19 September asked Director General of Police (DGP) Vivek Johri to suspend him.
In Panna district, the CM told the district magistrate at a review meeting last month that “either you don’t know facts or you are misleading me”. He was upset about the district not achieving the target set for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
However, Congress spokesperson K. K. Mishra questioned Chouhan’s actions against officials, which he said was for the purpose of “maintaining” the CM’s public image. “Who appointed these officials? Now that the election is approaching, he is holding public trials of officials. It shows Chouhan himself doesn’t want to share accountability for corruption and is shifting the blame to officers,”
