- Demands resignation, burns effigy
Bhopal: The controversy surrounding Madhya Pradesh’s Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Prahlad Patel’s remarks about “begging” and “an army of beggars” continues to intensify, sparking widespread protests across the state. The opposition Congress party has launched a statewide movement, demanding Patel’s resignation over his controversial statement. On Thursday, protests erupted at block headquarters across the state, with Congress workers burning effigies of the minister and demanding his immediate resignation. In Bhopal, effigies were burned at Nehru Nagar and Chanchal Chauraha, with protesters vowing to escalate the movement if Patel does not resign by March 15.
Praveen Saxena, the District President of Congress in Bhopal, urged Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to take swift action and ask Patel to step down. Saxena warned that if the minister does not resign by the deadline, Congress will initiate the next phase of its protests. Just a day earlier, Congress spokesperson Mithun Ahirwar had raised six pointed questions to the BJP government, calling for a public apology from Patel and demanding his resignation.
March 10 farmers’ protest in Bhopal
The Congress is not slowing down, with the Farmers’ Congress planning a major protest in Bhopal on March 10. Senior leaders like Harish Choudhary and Jitu Patwari will participate in the protest, which coincides with the commencement of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly’s budget session.
The Controversial statement
The uproar began when Minister Prahlad Patel, during a speech on March 1 in Rajgarh district’s Suthalia, referred to the public’s petitions as “begging.” He remarked that people had become accustomed to begging from the government, adding that when politicians visit, they hand out petitions as if they were gifts, a practice he deemed unhealthy. He urged citizens to focus on giving rather than receiving.
Protests in Bhopal
In Bhopal, Congress workers led by Ashok Maran burned an effigy of the minister at Chanchal Chauraha, demanding his resignation. The Tulsi Nagar Congress Committee followed suit at Nehru Nagar Chauraha. At Sant Hirdaram Nagar, clashes broke out between Congress workers and the police during an effigy-burning protest. City Congress President Praveen Saxena declared that protests would continue until Patel apologized and resigned.
Minister’s defense
In response to the outrage, Minister Prahlad Patel clarified his statement, asserting that he had made the remarks in a social context, not a political one. He emphasized that his comments were aimed at empowering society and his community, not at criticizing the public. Patel also targeted Congress President Jitu Patwari, accusing him of spreading misinformation and demanding an apology from Patwari for misinterpreting his words.
