Madhya Pradesh: Former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan Arrested While Protesting Over Farmers' Issue

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was arrested on Tuesday evening in Pichhore district while staging a protest against the incumbent Congress-led state government.

Chouhan alleged that the Congress government in the state failed to implement farm loan waiver. (File Photo/ Getty)

Shivpuri: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was arrested on Tuesday evening in Pichhore district while staging a protest against the incumbent Congress-led state government. Chouhan, along with several other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were participating in a farmers' agitation in the region. Chouhan courted arrest, demanding that farmers in Madhya Pradesh be paid a compensation for crop losses among other things. Addressing a rally, Chouhan alleged that the Congress government in the state failed to implement farm loan waiver, its main promise during the last year's elections. "We will continue to fight till farmers' loans are waived," he said. He also accused the state government of not fulfilling other promises including payment of unemployment allowance and halving of power bills. "The Congress government discontinued the schemes of the previous BJP government such as Tirth Darshan Yojana which facilitated pilgrimage for the elderly, Sambal Yojana which provided subsidised power to labourers and distribution of free laptops and smartphones to students," he alleged. Chouhan also slammed former Congress President Rahul Gandhi for claiming that his party would waive farmers’ loans within 10 days of coming to power in the state and alleged that it had not been done even after months of Kamal Nath taking over as chief minister. The state government was filing false cases against farmers as well as BJP leaders, Chouhan alleged, adding that his party would not tolerate it. Chouhan, BJP vice president Prabhat Jha and others were arrested by the police later for staging a rally without due permissions. Pichhore Sub Divisional Officer of Police Ratnesh Tomar said about 3,000 protesters including Chouhan, Jha and local MP KP Singh Yadav courted arrest. They were released immediately, he added. The protesters also submitted a memorandum of their demands to the local administration. The Congress government, in May, claimed that around 21 lakh farmers had benefited from the farm loan waiver scheme and Congress leader Suresh Pachouri even visited Chouhan's residence with documents containing names of beneficiaries in different districts of the state. (With inputs from PTI)