A minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh has sparked a controversy by saying that those voting for Congress will not get the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, as it is a scheme of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The alleged indirect warning was issued by Shivpuri MLA Yashodhara Raje Scindia during a public event.


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"Chulhe ki yojana, kyun nahi aayi aapke paas? ye kamal ki yojana hai. Aap panje mein vote doge, aapke paas aaegi nahi. Aap kamal ko doge, aapke paas aaegi. Seedhi baat hai. (Why didn’t the gas scheme come to you people? It is because this is BJP’s scheme. You will vote for Congress, you won’t be provided with the scheme. If you vote for BJP, it will be provided to you)," she said.



Scindia made the statement while campaigning for the BJP ahead of Kolaras Assembly bypoll, which is slated to be held on February 24. The battle in Kolaras is one of pride between the BJP and the Congress party, as it falls under the parliamentary constituency of Jyotiraditya Scindia, who is the nephew of the Yashodhara Raje Scindia.


A video of the BJP minister making the statement was shared on microblogging site Twitter by Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Arun Yadav, alleging brazen violation of model code of conduct.


She went on to say that it is their own fault which is why they are not being provided with the scheme. "Aap agar panje ko vote doge toh hum panje ko kyun denge? Hum panje ke haath se kyun denge aapko chulha? Nahi denge. Aaapko apni samajhdaari se aisi party ko vote dena hai jiski har cheez aapke gharon mein aa jaaye, (If you vote for Congress, why will we give it to them? Why will we give you gas through the hands of Congress? We will not give you. With your sensibility you should vote for a party that will provide you with schemes that will reach your home.)," she added.


The Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched in 2016 by the NDA particularly for the welfare of women in poor households.


The bypolls in Mungaoli and Kolaras are being seen as semi finals to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, which are expected in late 2018. The bypoll in both the seats were necessitated by the demise of two Congress MLAs.


(With ANI inputs)