‘We have set new targets for ourselves and will continue Madhya Pradesh’s growth story’: CM Mohan Yadav-OxBig News Network

How has your experience been in the past one year? What were the challenges? How difficult was it to make your own identity?

It was a new job so naturally there were challenges. We [the BJP] had been in government for a long time and Shivraj Singh Chouhan ji had established his own image. We started taking the work forward. I was very junior compared to him but I had support from him and all others, so, I am here today. 

One advantage I had was that I had worked with governmental and administrative bodies. I had also served as the [Higher] Education Minister and the Tourism Board Chairman. So, I had no doubts about my administrative ability and I have no personal agenda here. I am also a swayamsevak of the RSS and we are trained to undertake any responsibility. And as promised, we did not discontinue any ongoing scheme but also set new targets for ourselves. For example, we have achieved success on two mega projects — Ken-Betwa river linking project and Parbati-Kalisindh-Chambal (PKC) river linking project. It is a big feat under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership that the foundation is being laid for these projects, involving multiple States, in our one-year term. While the PKC project will benefit the north-western parts of Madhya Pradesh, the Ken-Betwa is the key to erase the Bundelkhand region’s poverty.

How has been your experience working with a Cabinet that has various Ministers who are seen as politically senior to you? Have there been any power clashes?

Nobody is senior to the Chief Minister. The CM is CM and the Ministers are Ministers. They are part of the Council of Ministers and their voices should be heard in the Cabinet meetings.

An issue was raised during one of the Cabinet meetings in which it was claimed that Ujjain is receiving too much money from the government. [Mr. Yadav is an MLA from Ujjain-South]

It has nothing to do with Ujjain. The world’s largest fair [Mahakumbh] is being organised in Prayagraj so have all the development works in rest of Uttar Pradesh stopped? And next, it will be organised in Ujjain [Sinhastha Kumbh-2028] so we only have three years. There will be three monsoons, so, in reality, we are left with 1.5 years to prepare. More than 15 crore people will attend the Sinhastha and Ujjain’s population is less than eight lakh. We will have to make all the infrastructural arrangements now. 

You have been making constant efforts to bring investment to the State. You recently visited Europe too. At what stage are the proposals received in and how many of them have materialised?

More than 50% proposals have materialised. Wherever we have held investor summits, we have put up a screen for the industrialists to see the progress on previous projects. As a result of this practice, all the officials have understood that they have to work on this front. 

Summits and conclaves have been conducted during past governments too but many proposals did not materialise. What are you doing differently now?

Everything is in front of you. For the first time, we took the industrialists to divisional headquarters and showed them the land and area. We told them about the Central government benefits that they will get at the location. We are getting solid results by displaying the reality. 

We also have a good credibility from Shivraj ji’s time, so, we called various industrialists who have invested in the State in the past to share their experiences. We have no strikes by labourers in Madhya Pradesh or other problems faced by various States. 

We have also told the investors that we are available for them all the time. At each conclave, I leave the CM role behind and get into the role of a CEO.

You call Madhya Pradesh a ‘Shanti ka Taapu’ (island of peace), but it seems that fringe elements are still quite active. The ruckus over Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh’s concert in Indore by the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is a recent example. What is your plan to deal with elements who tarnish the State’s peaceful image?

India is a democratic country so there are voices in favour or against everything. But we have courts and administration above everything. So, if there is a crime, then there is action. They [the Bajrang Dal and VHP workers] held protests to put forth their views. It’s a democracy. Had they violated the law, we would have taken action against them.

Someone asked me recently why new cases are being filed everyday after the verdict on Ram Temple in Ayodhya. I told the person that I am happy about it. If there are 10 cases, 50 should be filed because we have faith in the courts. We are not going to the concerned places to create a ruckus but going to the courts is our legal right. We are telling the courts that there has been a mistake in the past and we should fix it. If we lose the case, we will sit at home. This is the beauty of democracy. But yes, if someone breaks the law or disturbs the peace, then we will take strict action.

What about the ‘bulldozer action’ now after the Supreme Court’s recent direction?

We have already said that there is no ‘bulldozer culture’ here. If there is an illegal construction, it should be demolished and there is a process for that and we don’t violate that.

What is the government doing to dispose of the chemical waste present in the Union Carbide Factory complex?

The government is very serious on this issue. The government will dispose of the chemical waste as per the directions of the Supreme Court, keeping in mind the environment and safety of all. Our government’s preparation for this is in the final stage.

By when will the chemical waste be disposed of?

The chemical waste is to be disposed of in Pithampur [an industrial area near Indore], far away from Bhopal. The chemical waste is to be lifted from Bhopal in a scientific manner and taken to Pithampur under tight security. For this, the government is preparing a route chart. We are very cautious and vigilant to ensure that there is no lapse or deficiency during the lifting, transportation and disposal of chemical waste in Pithampur. As soon as possible, we will dispose of this chemical waste as per the prescribed standards and procedures.

You have promised to continue all schemes but the State’s total debt is reaching near ₹4 lakh crore. How do you plan to carry on with schemes like Ladli Behna and reduce the government’s debt at the same time?

You should compare it with how much money the State has. We have not surpassed our debt limit, as fixed by the Government of India. If we are running all the schemes, this means that we are quite capable but take loans to maintain our balance sheet. But we have talked about further increasing the government’s income and we are working towards it. We are also working to reduce the government expenditure in multiple sectors. 

This is no debt. Even big industrialists have to take loans to balance their accounts but they keep increasing their assets.

When our party took over the government from Congress’ Digvijaya Singh ji and Uma Bharti ji became the CM, our total budget was about ₹20,000 crore. And, today, if we have reached ₹3.5 lakh crore, we will have to show that growth.