Bhopal: There is constant chatter in political corridors in Madhya Pradesh about how much the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government splurges on its branding, but this time Raj Bhawan has landed in controversy over a lavish coffee table book published to highlight the 111-day tenure of state Governor Anandiben Patel.
The book, 'Abhuday-Ek Prerna' chronicles her days of activism with word of appreciation from vice president M Venkaiah Naidu and her Gujarat counterpart OP Kohli.
Starting day one with visits to aganwadis, government schools and holding meetings, Patel gave enough fodder to opposition Congress to find fault with her ways. The BJP too found her excessive activism difficult to fathom.
With the release of the book, the Congress found the opportunity to attack the Governor.
“In the book, the Governor gloats about herself but there is no mention of steps taken for welfare of the public,” Congress MLA Umang Singhar said.
The lawmaker alleged that this is akin to the branding initiatives of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"I am apprehensive whether she wishes to brand herself in MP for presenting her claim as next Gujarat Chief Minister," said the MLA.
Another Congressman, Tarun Bhanot, said that publishing such coffee table books is against the dignity of the post.
Taking an exception to the allegations, Minister of State for Co-operative Affairs, Vishwas Sarang, said the post of Governor was beyond political lines and making such remarks against the constitutional head was condemnable.
Harping on Patel’s achievements as the Governor, the book mentions that she visited 17 districts after assuming office, met 3000 visitors at Raj Bhawan, inspected a dozen primary and middle schools, met kids at more than 20 aganwadi centres, held meetings at ten organisations where she is the ex-officio chairperson and participated in convocation functions at five universities.
“I am not sure how much a single copy of the book cost but one thing I am damn sure that instead of glorifying Governor’s 111 days of tenure in a state saddled with Rs two lakh crore loans, the funds could have been put to use for making postings at several schools functioning without teachers, at least for some duration,” said a senior journalist who did not wish to be named.
(With inputs from Manoj Sharma)
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