Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on September 28 said a "race" was going on among senior BJP leaders from Madhya Pradesh to avoid contesting the coming Assembly elections.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has declared 79 candidates for the elections till now, including Union Ministers Narendra Tomar, Prahlad Patel and party general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya.
“The BJP has run short of candidates in MP and its big leaders are in a race to avoid being in the fray. While fleeing from the battlefield they are asking each other to contest the polls,” said Mr. Surjewala, the Congress's general secretary in charge of the State where polls are due by the year-end.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia schemed to push the Union Ministers who are their arch rivals into the poll fray, he further claimed.
The Chouhan-Scindia duo have scripted a movie titled Hum To Dubenge Sanam Tumko Bhi Le Dubenge (We are drowning, we will take you along), Mr. Surjewala said.
Kailash Vijayvargiya, fielded from Indore, has said he had no desire to contest the election, the Congress leader noted.
"Thus, portraying himself as a big leader, he has disrespected the people. Now the people would teach him a lesson,” Mr. Surjewala added.
Mr. Chouhan's innings as Chief Minister was coming to an end in the next 15 days, he claimed.
The Congress leader also slammed the State Government and home minister Narottam Mishra over the rape of a 12-year-old girl in Ujjain.
Mr. Mishra, who notices (takes offence at) attires of Mumbai film actresses and film songs does not notice the rape survivor's cry, he said.
