Comparing Chouhan to Dhoni is a insult to the legendary cricketer: Surjewala

Congress' Randeep Surjewala on Tuesday (September 5) slammed Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's recent remarks, saying that likening Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to the legendary cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a huge sign of disrespect.

Chouhan is “such a player” to whom one will not even give an opportunity for “trials” and that he gets himself out hit-wicket, said the Congress general secretary in-charge of MP, where assembly elections are due by November.

Singh on Monday heaped praise on Chouhan for his leadership qualities and sought to compare him with Dhoni, who was known for his match-winning abilities. Like Dhoni, who led India to the 2011 ODI World Cup victory, Chouhan will also pull off win in the polls, he said.

Responding to a question on Singh terming Chouhan as Dhoni of politics, Surjewala said, “It is the biggest disrespect of our best player. He (Chouhan) is a ‘phisaddi’ (failed) player to whom no one will give an opportunity even for trials. Whenever he holds a bat, he gets himself out hit-wicket. Here Madhya Pradesh gets hit-wicket.”

Asked about the speculation that the government is planning to drop India and stay with just Bharat as the country’s name, the Congress leader said, “They (BJP govt) will never talk about unemployment, agriculture, drought, compensation, inflation, hatred and progress.” Surjewala said the government will keep people entangled in such “webs and propaganda”. It is like a “web of Shakuni (character from epic Mahabharat)”.

On the controversial statement of DMK leader Dayanidhi Stalin about ‘Sanatan Dharma’, Surjewala said he had not heard the exact word or understood its meaning as he didn’t know the south Indian language in which it was made.

“I know only five languages and will try to learn more. Somebody has said something but there is no question of any debate over it. 'Sanatan Dharma' and 'Sanatan Sanskriti' were there, are there, and will remain there for ages,” said the Congress leader.

Referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s daylong visit to MP to launch the BJP’s ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatras’, which are mass-contact programmes, Surejewala called them “Jan Dhoka Dhan Loot Avsarwad Yatra” (cheating people and looting public money) at the cost of farmers.

It will fall flat, he said.

Surjewala also posed five questions to the BJP on the condition of farmers and the power situation in view of scanty rainfall, especially in Sheopur and Khandwa-Nimar region.

He alleged that BJP leaders, including Shah and Nitin Gadkari, are arriving in the state for vote bank politics at the cost of farmers’ crops which are on the brink of getting damaged due to poor rains.

Surjewala claimed that against the demand of 15,006 MW of power, there is a shortfall of 3,000 MW in the state and no arrangement was made to bridge this gap despite warnings by the weather department.

(With agency inputs)