‘Tiger Zinda Hai’: Scindia After 28 Ministers Take Oath in MP

The BJP leader attacked the Congress, his party of 19 years until he quit in March.

MP Governor Anandiben Patel administers oath to Yashodhara Raje Scindia as Cabinet minister on 2 July.

(Photo: PTI)

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar

As many as 28 ministers took oath on Thursday, 2 July, to be part of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, months after it came to power by toppling the previous Congress government.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, whose supporters scored big in the Madhya Pradesh cabinet expansion on Thursday, announced his return to the forefront of state politics after months of silence.

“It is our duty to fight against injustice. Even if it means war, then Jyotiraditya Scindia will be on the frontline. For the last two months, people have been trying to tarnish my character. I want to tell them – tiger abhi zinda hai,”  he said.

Scindia, added, “I don’t need any certificate from Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath. The facts are before the people, how they looted the state in 15 months.”

The BJP leader, recently elected to the Rajya Sabha, also attacked the Congress, his party of 19 years until he quit in March.

Among those who have taken oath as Cabinet ministers at Raj Bhawan in Bhopal include Gopal Bhargava, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Imarti Devi, Prabhuram Choudhary and Pradhuman Singh Tomar.

The oath-taking included Scindia’s aunt Yashodhara Raje Scindia, Imarti Devi, Pradhuman Singh Tomar, Prabhuram Chaudhary, Mahendra Singh Sisodia and Bisahulal Singh.

It was after Scindia left the Congress along with his loyalists, and joined the BJP, that the Kamal Nath-led government lost majority in March.

Earlier, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had sent the list of eight state ministers and 20 Cabinet ministers to Governor Anandiben Patel.

Till now, the BJP government in the state had just five ministers, who were inducted in April.

CM, Scindia Congratulate Ministers; Kamal Nath Takes a Jibe

Soon after the swearing-in, CM Chouhan congratulated all his ministers. “We will all work with dedication for the benefit of the people and the state,” he said in a tweet.

Scindia, too, had taken to Twitter to congratulate the ministers.

Meanwhile, former CM Kamal Nath took a jibe at CM Chouhan, saying he was “saddened” to not find the names of many qualified, experienced, loyal and senior BJP MLAs in the formation of the Cabinet.