Every politician and elected leader is a social worker: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

You are known by the sobriquet mamaji and bhaiyya to women by the media, owing to a slew of schemes launched during your tenure. Can you throw light on them?

The BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and all of us have concentrated on the empowerment of women. The PM gave the slogan ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ and we launched the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ and ‘Nari Shakti Vandan’ and passed the 33-per cent reservation for women to do justice to half the population of the country.

In MP, we launched the Ladli Laxmi scheme in 2006-07 and under the Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojana, the state government used to perform mass marriages. We gave 50 per cent reservation for women in the local governments, a first in the country, and 35 per cent of the posts were reserved for women in police services. To prod families to keep property in the name of women, we reduced stamp duty for them. Ladli Behna Yojana is just one in a series of efforts to empower women.

There are 1.32 crore Ladli Behna beneficiaries in MP, who get Rs 1,250 per month. Under the Lakhpati Didi scheme, we aim to support women in self-help groups to increase their income to more than Rs 1 lakh per year. There are 15 lakh such didis now in MP. Hence, women are with us and I am bhaiyya and mama for women, as we are a family.

Ladli Lakshmi Yojana incentivises families to retain girls in schools. All of this has resulted in improving the sex ratio of women from 912 per 1,000 men to 956 per 1,000 men in MP. We are eyeing to make their numbers equal.

Under the Mukhyamantri Seekho Kamao Yojana, we are skilling people and giving them `8,000 to `10,000 per month for the training period, instead of unemployment dole.

‘Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana’ launched by your government was projected as a flagship scheme but the firing incident in Mandsaur left six farmers, who were seeking better prices for their produce, dead.

The incident in Mandsaur was unfortunate and had taken place long back. Now, MSP is being increased continuously and we are trying to buy at those rates. The scheme does not exist now and there is no need for the scheme now as MSP is being given.

In that case, what is the difficulty in making MSP a legal right, as sought by farmers?

The BJP government is striving to improve the lot of farmers. We launched the PM Kisan Samman Yojana, and Fasal Bima Yojana and started digital mandis to help the farmers. We have done more for farmers than any government.

But farmer leaders say making MSP a legal right is far more beneficial than any other scheme.

For small and marginal farmers, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi is a great boon. We have increased MSP continuously. The prices of sugarcane were increased yesterday. Everything is being done by PM Modi to increase the income of farmers. We are looking to have a peaceful resolution for the farmer’s protests through talks.

You have been the longest-serving CM of any BJP-run state. While the party returned to power with a thumping majority, you have not been retained as the CM. Why?

You tell me how many more terms should I be retained as the CM. I have served as the CM for 18 years. For an ordinary worker, how much more can the party do? Should I be thinking of only myself? Is there no other able leader? I am doing the work given by the party. We are part of a mission to build the country into a strong respected nation. This bigger target will determine what role we will have to play. One should not be self-centred.

What is the work entrusted to you right now?

I came to the southern states as part of the ‘Viksit Bharat Yatra’. I am holding election preparedness meetings now. I have been to Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha and Karnataka, and I am going to Maharashtra now. I am very happy.

What do you make of the party’s decision to sideline senior leaders like Vasundhara Raje and Raman Singh, and opt for newcomer CMs? Is this not representative of Congress's culture of imposing leaders by the high command in Delhi?

When I became the CM, I had no administrative experience as a minister. Similar doubts were aired about me also. If one has the conviction, he or she can deliver. There were deliberations at various levels before deciding on who will do what in the BJP. Congress has no culture and there is no question of their ways in our party. I had said that I would not seek any post as that culture is alien to us. President Droupadi Murmu did not seek any post. Working in the party is akin to being in the government as both are done to serve the nation. Making demands is against the BJP’s culture.

There is talk that you will be made national president of the party.

I have not heard any such thing and political leaders should also do social work. I plant a tree every day. Empty talk about the environment is of no use. In MP, planting trees on special occasions like wedding anniversaries, birthdays and in memory of parents has become a movement. I took care of some girls until they were settled in life.

How do you see the prospects of the BJP at the national level?

PM Narendra Modi is a visionary and a gift of God to the country. Women, poor, youth and farmers are being taken care of. There is a wave in favour of Modi. Unlike Assembly elections, people are rooting for BJP in the Parliament polls. We will win 370 seats, the NDA 400+ and will return with a resounding majority.

Despite the abrogation of Article 370, peace has not returned to Kashmir. There is still a huge army presence there. Do you think pandits can return in the near future?

Kashmir is peaceful now. There is no stone pelting. Tourism is booming and by the end of Modi’s third term, neither terrorism nor Naxalism will survive. There was talk of a bloodbath if Article 370 is abrogated, but nothing of the sort has happened. The Army is there to protect us from Pakistan.

Is there a chance of an alliance with the BRS? There has been no action against the BRS despite corruption allegations in the Kaleshwaram project and Kavitha has not been arrested in the liquor scam.

There is no such possibility. Everybody wants to align with the BJP now.

Despite criticism about familial parties, the BJP has made Yedduyurappa’s son Vijayendra Yediyurappa the president of the Karnataka unit. How do you justify this?

Can someone be denied posts as he or she is from a leader’s family? There is none from Modi or Amit Shah’s family in politics. Family parties are those where leadership is in the hands of one family. In Congress, Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi ruled the roost. In RJD, after Lalu, Tejashwi is the leader and in TMC, Mamata is grooming Abhishek Banerjee. The BRS also falls in this category. They are family-run parties.