In Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan gets a symbolic kick 

The photograph of a group of women in saris kicking a football that carries a picture of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, has gone viral in the state. Photoshopped or not, the picture does capture the growing hostility among people towards the state government and Chouhan himself. In one last bid to regain lost ground, the Chief Minister has now waived electricity bills worth ₹5,200 crore.

While the move was announced as usual without any discussion or consultations, the wily Chief Minister has let it be known that the waiver would come into effect only after the Assembly election. The state government has pledged to cough up ₹1,800 crore while the rest is likely to be borne by general consumers. With two of the three power distribution companies running up losses, the power tariff is expected to rise after the election.

What has been worrying the BJP government more are steady reports of ministers, MP’s and MLA’s facing hostility from the people, reports of infighting among ‘disciplined’ party workers and BJP workers hogging headlines for the wrong reasons, often for manhandling public servants and obstructing them from doing their duty. On Sunday, July 8, Alok Sanjar, BJP MP from Bhopal, and Rameshwar Sharma, an MLA from Bhopal, were manhandled in Huzur Assembly constituency by a BJP ward member, her husband and their followers. The husband, Shyam Singh Meena, has been suspended from the party but his wife Manphool Meena, equally involved in the brawl, has been left alone.

While this is the latest such incident, there have been many more in recent weeks to disturb the party.

• Bhopal Mayor Alok Sharma and Surjeet Singh Chouhan, Chairman of Bhopal Municipal Corporation, had a public spat over construction permits given to builders. It has become the talk of the town.
• Former state president Nand Kumar Chouhan had to abandon his programme and return from Khandwa.
• MP Faggan Singh Kulaste and Anoop Mishra (nephew of Atal Bihari Vajpayee) were greeted by hostile crowds
• Abusive slogans, black flags and hostile people greeted Surendra Patwa and Vishwas Sarang, both ministers, and MLA’s Om Prakash Saklecha, Rameshwar Sharma and Shailendra Jain.

The state government’s inability to apprehend and punish the car driver who drove over a policeman in Bhopal who had tried to stop it by standing before it (the policeman died) and growing incidence of BJP workers manhandling public servants are alienating policemen and government employees. Chairman of BJP’s youth wing, Munendra Singh, manhandled a policewoman, held her by her collars and tore her uniform when she stopped him for speaking on his mobile while driving his motorcycle. Gherao of police stations by the sand mafia and even assault on them have become commonplace. Will populist sops and too clever-by-half announcements help BJP salvage its fast-losing ground is the question on everyone’s lips.