Forget Pandemic, Shivraj Chouhan Busy Cleaning Congress Regime’s Footprints

Bhopal: The COVID-19 pandemic has been taking a toll in Madhya Pradesh rapidly with 1,450 positive cases and 75 deaths, however, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is more busy removing Congress-appointed officials.   

On Monday, the government terminated the directors of five academies of Madhya Pradesh Cultural Council -- Aadivasi Lok Kala Sahitya, Sindhi Sahitya, Marathi Sahitya and Ustad Alluaddin Kha Sangeet and Kala Academy -- appointed during the Congress' regime.

On Sunday – which is an official holiday – the CM appointed P Narhari secretary, Public Relations Department, as the new vice-chancellor (VC) of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication (MCNUJC), a day after former VC Deepak Tiwari tendered his resignation. 

According to sources, Tiwari had been getting calls from the Chief Minister’s Office to tender his resignation. This had been happening ever since Chouhan took oath as chief minister on March 23, after the Bharatiya Janata Party was successful in toppling the 15-month-long Congress government in the state, with help from former Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Hours later, the university sacked two professors appointed by the former VC -- Arun Tripathi a Gandhian thinker and Vishnu Rajgarhiya. The former was appointed in the Journalism Department and latter in the Mass Communication Department of the University.   

In addition, the University appointed Rashtriya Swayamseval Sangh (RSS) sympathiser, Prof Sanjay Dwivedi, as the new registrar by replacing Deependra Baghel. Interestingly, all this happened on Sunday. 

More so, on April 16, the university sacked another adjoined professor Mukesh Kumar for criticising RSS men manning the Telengana police checkpost. Just like many others, he also raised questions on social media, asking “why RSS men manning police check post” after a photo went viral. He was also appointed by the former VC in the Electronic Media Department. 

Three week after taking oath, on April 11, Chouhan appointed Anand Kumar Mishra as the new registrar of Jiwaji University- Gwalior, a kin of BJP senior leader and Minister Narottam Mishra, by replacing APS Chouhan, a political science professor. 

The CM also terminated Shobha Oza, a Congress leader, from the post of Chairperson of the State Women’s Commission as soon as he took oath as CM. 

Incidentally, all these decisions are being taken at a time when the entire country is under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and school, colleges, government offices and universities are shut.

According to the Health Department’s April 20 COVID-19 bulletin, Madhya Pradesh has crossed 1,450 confirmed cases spread across 25 districts and more than 75 people have been reported dead.

Incidentally, the state does not have a Health Minister and its 94 medical officials, including four IAS officers have fallen prey to the pandemic. In fact, according to a report, around 40 police persons and their family members have also tested positive for COVID-19. 

A similar reshuffle in the administration was seen when the Congress rose to power in Madhya Pradesh in December 2018 after trouncing the BJP in the Assembly elections. The then University VC Jagdish Upasne was asked to resign and Deepak Tiwari, a well-known journalist and author was appointed the VC by the Kamal Nath government.  

However, with coronavirus raging in the state, State Congress media in-charge and former Higher Education Minister Jitu Patwari took a dig at the BJP government, and said, “The Chief Minister Shivraj says he has no time for cabinet expansion due to the looming COVID-19 threat, but has too much time for sacking and appointing officials.”  

Patwari further said: “It is a well-known that government offices and universities had been become a den of the RSS and the BJP in last 15 years. As the Congress came to power in 2018, the party tried to wash off RSS ideology from campuses and offices. And we very much succeeded in it. But, now, everything is back to the square one.” 

Educationist Arun Gurtu said: “When state is reeling under massive health crisis and COVID-19 is taking a toll, why is the CM busy sacking chief of academies and university officials?”

“The State has no Education Minister, Health Minister and everything is closed due to the lockdown, CM Chouhan is the sole person who is making these changes. Why he is in such a rush? He could have waited until the lockdown ended,” he added.