I am A Farmer At Heart

Society meets the unassuming and diligent Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and finds out some less known facets about his personality. His wife Sadhna Singh Chouhan also joins the interesting conversation and adds more interesting layers to the chat. Read on…

- Meeta Mishra

​​​​​As I waited in the state hangar for the helicopter of the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh to land, I wondered what it would be like to meet Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He has been in news for various reasons, mainly negative. Of late, it was the farmers’ unrest that rocked the state. Chouhan sat on a fast to control the violence that had perpetuated following a rebellion. After one and half days of fasting, in which his wife also joined him, peace was restored.

When I interviewed Chouhan a few months ago, he had spoken about how he was a farmer. In fact, the day I met him, he was on his way to check his fields in Vidisha with his family. “My source of income is agriculture. Politics is a way to serve people, but I am a farmer at heart,” he had said.

A farmer who became a politician was not the only thing that I learnt about him. I was in for more surprises. He came across as a person who was in a hurry. He talked fast, walked fast. It was a revelation to speak to him, as not much of his personal beliefs and life are known in the national media. I was taken to a big drawing room in the guest house that was adjacent to the helipad to conduct the interview, where a motley group of people that included his family and a couple of officials were seated as well.

This 58-year-old leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has served as its General Secretary and as the President of its Madhya Pradesh state unit. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1972 as a 13-year-old. He has been a five-time Member of Parliament representing Vidisha in Lok Sabha since 1991. At present, he represents the Budhni constituency, a tehsil place in Sehore district in the Madhya Pradesh assembly.