Fresh political controversy in poll-bound MP as video of Cong’s Naari Samman Yojana forms go viral

BHOPAL: Political controversies seem to erupt daily as the assembly polls draw closer in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.

The latest controversy pertains to the opposition Congress’s much-publicized poll promise–the Naari Samman Yojana–which entails Rs 1500 monthly to financially weak women and Rs 500 gas cylinder if the Congress is voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls.

Young BJP state spokesperson Neha Bagga claimed on Saturday that the filled-up forms of Congress’s Nari Samman Yojana (containing sensitive data of women) are being used by roadside hawkers to serve snacks to customers–thus making those women vulnerable to trouble by fraudsters and anti-social elements.

Bagga shared a 44 seconds video, showing that filled up Naari Samman Yojana forms (which bear the picture of state Congress chief Kamal Nath) are being used to serve snacks to customers at some snacks stalls.

The video possibly has been shot in MP’s most populated city Indore.

In the video (TNIE cannot vouch for its authenticity), two men (possibly customers) are heard talking about Kamal Nath’s Naari Samman Yojana forms being used to serve the snacks along with chutney.

In the same video, when the customers ask the snack stall runner where he got the forms, he replies he purchased those papers from a scrap dealer.

The video shows snacks being prepared and sold as well as customers relishing the snacks in the same forms. The forms mentioned in Hindi, “Naari Samman Yojana, Sashakt Beti Samriddh Naari, Naariyon Ka Samman Madhya Pradesh Ka Abhiyan.”

While showing journalists the concerned video, the BJP state spokesperson Neha Bagga said, “The video exposes how in the name of Naari Samman Yojana a conspiracy has been hatched by the Congress to dupe women in the state. Women filled out these forms which contain their sensitive details, including Samagra ID, Aadhar Card, and phone numbers. Now these forms are being used to sell kachoris and moongfali in snack stalls. This will open floodgates for misuse of the sensitive details of the women (who’ve filled up these forms) by cyber fraudsters and other anti-social elements. BJP takes strong objection to this.”

“Who’ll take responsibility, the Congress party, Priyanka Gandhi or Kamal Nath, if these forms are misused by fraudsters and other anti-social elements to trouble and dupe those women whose details are contained in these forms? The BJP will explore legal options, including lodging FIR in the matter. If the need arose, then we’ll register a case against the Congress and its leaders for not protecting the interests of those women, whose details have gone public,” Bagga added.  

The two promises in the scheme form part of the party’s five guarantees spelled out recently by Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra at the MP poll campaign launch in Jabalpur on June 12.

As per state Congress sources, around 45 lakh women have already filled up the Naari Samman Yojana forms with the help of the Congress workers.

When contacted in the matter, Piyush Babele, the media advisor to the state Congress and its chief Kamal Nath, while expressing ignorance about the video shared by the BJP leader, blamed the BJP for it. “It’s quite possible that the video is the handiwork of BJP’s Dirty Trick Department only, to defame the Congress.”