Chouhan is ‘Kans mama,’ says Digvijay Singh

BHOPAL - Digvijay Singh, All India Congress Committee general secretary and former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Friday took on his successors, describing present Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as “Kans Mama” (Uncle Kans).

He also suggested that former chief minister Uma Bharti should become a full-time “sadhwi” (ascetic).

The reference is to king Kans of Mathura, whom Lord Krishna, his nephew, slew.

Digvijay Singh also criticised Bharatiya Janata Party national president Nitin Gadkari for saying that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has no knowledge of the functioning of the parliamentary system.

He was talking to reporters at his residence here.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who launched the Ladli Laxmi Yojna (a scheme to secure the future of girls in the state) used to describe himself as a “mama” (maternal uncle) in most of his addresses to women.

Reacting to it, the Congress leader said that Chouhan “is not just mama, but Kans mama. Also, there is nothing special in his Ladli Laxmi Yojna.”

Uma Bharti recently suggested that Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi must make her his political mentor instead of Digvijay Singh. She was reacting to the WikiLeaks report on Rahul Gandhi’s alleged remarks on Hindu extremists.

Singh responded Friday, saying Uma Bharati “first needs to fix her own position. Where is she? She had left BJP and made a party which failed. I think she should now become a full-time ’sandhwi’”.

The Congress general secretary also reacted to BJP national president Nitin Gadkari’s remarks on the prime minister.

“Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has better knowledge of parliamentary system than Gadkari. He is the first in the democratic system of our country since 1947 to offer to appear before the PAC,” he said.

He also said that in comparison to Gadkari, BJP senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi has a better idea about the functioning of the Indian parliamentary system.