MP CM ASSERTS AUTHORITY, SHAKES UP BUREAUCRACY

‘Many of the officers who have been removed were not touched even by the Congress government, given their clout and that of Chouhan.’

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

Sixty days into the chair, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has swiftly broken away from the larger-than-life legacy of his predecessor, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who left with the distinction of serving as CM for almost 17 years.

Yadav, who was chosen as the CM face by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken steps that clearly indicate that he is going to chart his own path, different from what Chouhan had been taking.

After taking oath midDecember, Yadav-who was seen as a surprise choice, given his "minor" political stature in comparison to Chouhan-effected large scale transfers of bureaucrats which also includes moving out IAS and IPS officers who were close to the former CM and were termed as "super CMs" of the state.

While this was expected, what has created discussions in Bhopal and Delhi, is the swiftness with which he has executed these policy  changes to give a message that his government will not like to associate with officials, who took questionable decisions and were allowed to go scotfree in the previous rule.

Yadav, who was not aware that he would lead the government till the last moment when his name was announced, in a far-reaching political decision, in the last week of January, made it clear that it would no longer be obligatory to stand up when the state anthem is played, a more than decade long practice that was introduced by Chouhan and much publicized.

On 25 January, while attending an event organized to hand over appointment letters to newly selected government officials, Yadav chose not to stand up and instructed the others present on the dais to keep sitting when the state anthem was played. Later, the three-time MLA told the audience that the Madhya Pradesh anthem or any other song cannot be equated with the National Anthem or National Song.