"Madhya Pradesh Identified With Mafia Under BJP Rule," Claims Kamal Nath

Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Friday said the mafia and adulterators were flourishing in Madhya Pradesh under the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government while industries were getting ruined.

Bypolls to 28 MP Assembly seats are scheduled for November 3 and Mr Nath was addressing a campaign rally in Pal Kankaia village in Sanver constituency.

"The chief minister prostrates on the dais and calls people his god but his god is the mafia. He should not fool the people," Mr Nath said.

"Under BJP rule, MP is identified with the mafia, adulteration etc, while industries in the state have got totally ruined," Mr Nath said, adding that his government in its 15-month rule had gone after adulterators under the "shuddh ke liye yuddh" (war for purity).

Accusing Mr Chouhan of lying routinely in politics, Mr Nath said the BJP has been stating his government had failed to waive off farm loans but then accepted in the state Assembly that 27 lakh farmers had got benefits of the write-off, and "Chouhan's lie was caught".

Mr Nath said the Centre was trying to "privatise" farm produce mandis with its new laws, adding that if the Congress returned to power post the bypolls, it would make a law criminalising purchase of produce below MSP.

Mr Nath said Chief Minister Chouhan should prove the former is an industrialist by showing any industry in his name.

Mr Nath said he had allocated maximum budget to the state when he was Union urban development and transport minister, and asked Mr Chouhan how much the state had got from these ministries after the BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014.

He said Mr Chouhan was "such a good actor" that he could give film superstars Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan a run for their money, and advised the BJP leader to try his luck in Bollywood "and make Madhya Pradesh's name popular in films".