(This piece was originally written in Hindi and has been translated by Om Tiwari. Tiwari is a Delhi-based journalist and columnist.)
“…I am in a dangerous mood nowadays. I will not spare anyone involved in illegal activities. Mama is back in form. I have launched a campaign against the land mafia, who exercise muscle power. There is the drug mafia as well, to whom I say, leave Madhya Pradesh, else I will bury you 10 feet deep, and no one will know your whereabouts. Good administration wipes out the bad elements to ensure the safety of the public.”
These are the words of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan who returned to power in Madhya Pradesh having toppling the Congress government recently. Only this time, he seems to have lost his geniality; rather, he appears to be creating just the opposite image for himself.
‘Will bury 10 ft deep’ — for example — has never been the kind of language Chouhan has uttered. In his last three terms, he not only succeeded in making the state riot-and-crime-free but built an image of being a ‘mama ji’ — implementing several popular schemes for women. In his fourth term, however, he seems to be a different person altogether.