Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s son Kartikey has waded into the bitter battle on social media between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress which took a swipe at his father over a video about his marriage anniversary.
Kartikey Singh Chouhan retaliated against the Congress, stressing that his father had all along prioritised public service over his family and that his mother always stood by him. “But the Congress does not understand the sanctity of relationships and love. Congress sees politics in everything,” Kartikey said in a post on Twitter, a move that came as a surprise to BJP leaders as well who have watched him keep a low profile in the state party unit for five years.
The Congress had targeted CM Chouhan after he posted a video showing his wife Sadhna Singh using a grinding stone and some women baking rotis over a stove at their home.
“Respected aunt! Now your trouble of burning the stove is going to end soon, because as soon as Kamal Nath becomes the Chief Minister, you will also get a gas cylinder in ₹500,” the party tweeted tagging the video.
Kartikey hit back, saying, “My mother stood behind my father as his strength for 32 years. She became his support in happiness and sorrow.”
“Public service is the first duty for my father. He rarely gets time for the family and sometimes he shares such moments, but how low is the Congress thinking that it is also targeting him for political gains. Bajrang Bali protect these beautiful moments of my parents from evil eye,” he added.
The Congress social media handle hit back at him, saying, “Oh Yuvraj! when you were studying in America, your father’s government was firing bullets on farmers in Mandsaur.” The party also asked him to express regret for “thousands of scams” busted during his “father’s regime.”
Kartikey responded, saying, “The word Yuvraj is not new to you. There are many princes and princess in your party.” “Have you heard that Sikh genocide was happening in the country when elder brother Nakulnath ji was in America?” he asked. Nakul Nath is son of MP Congress president Kamal Nath.
Political expert Deepak Tiwari said, “Kartikey has held campaign for his father in previous elections too but now he is in active politics. Kartikey is strategically moving ahead in politics when chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is fighting his last battle as the CM.”