MP Scheduled Caste Welfare Minister threatens to quit after losing Forest portfolio

Bhopal: Upset after being divested of the key Forest and Environment portfolio, first-time Cabinet minister in Madhya Pradesh, Nagar Singh Chouhan, on Monday threatened to quit from the Council of Ministers in the next two days.

Chouhan, a four-time tribal MLA who is now left with the Scheduled Caste Welfare portfolio, said he would quit the ministerial post and serve the people of his community, adding that his wife Anita Nagar Singh Chouhan, who is a first-time Lok Sabha member, might also quit as an MP.

On Sunday, Nagar Singh Chouhan was divested of the Forest and Environment portfolio which was allotted to Ramnivas Rawat, a six-time Congress MLA who switched sides to the BJP on April 30.

“I have been associated with the BJP for over 25 years. Yet I wasn’t consulted before the decision to divest me of the Forest and Environment portfolio was taken. I have already discussed the issue with (state BJP chief) V.D. Sharma. I will announce my decision in the next two days,” Chouhan told mediapersons on Monday.

The BJP leader also said what made him more upset was the fact that the ministry was allotted to someone who joined the party from the Congress only a few months back.

When asked if his ‘pressure tactic’ had anything to do with the possibility of him being dropped as a minister in a future Cabinet reshuffle, Chouhan said he never asked for any post in 25 years of his political career.

“I never asked for a ticket for my wife before the Lok Sabha polls. It was the party that chose my wife as its candidate, and we didn’t disappoint as she won by more than 2 lakh votes, the highest winning margin ever from the seat (Ratlam).

“Now if the party feels that two members from the same family cannot be bestowed with key responsibility, I’ll quit as a minister and remain just an MLA, while my wife will step down as an MP,” said Chouhan, considered a loyalist of former CM and current Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Notably, this is the first resentment shown by any BJP leader after Chief Minister Mohan Yadav assumed office in December last year.