Shoe hurled at MP CM; BJP cries murder plot

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan escaped unhurt when a shoe was hurled at him from the crowd during an election meeting in Sidhi district, late on Sunday night.

Just a few hours earlier, the ‘chariot ‘ the chief minister was riding on during his Jan Ashirvad Yatra got slightly damaged in stone pelting in Churhat town, part of Sidhi district and adjacent to Uttar Pradesh border.

Both the incidents left the chief minister shocked and the BJP fuming. Chouhan stopped his election speech after the shoe-hurling incident as security personnel encircled him on the stage.

A visibly shaken Chouhan alleged that the Congress was after his blood. He sought to know from Congress President Rahul Gandhi which direction the party is heading.

Police arrested nine persons in connection with the incidents on Monday. State’s Home Minister Bhupendra Singh accused the Congress of plotting to assassinate the chief minister, claiming all the arrested persons were Congressmen.

Intelligence failure

State BJP President Rakesh Singh alleged in Bhopal that Leader of Opposition Ajay Singh’s supporters were involved in both the incidents of stone-pelting and shoe-hurling. Churhat, where the incident occurred, is Ajay Singh’s assembly constituency.

Ajay Singh hit back at the BJP saying the government is trying to falsely frame innocent Congressmen in the two incidents to cover up its own glaring intelligence failure. He demanded a high-level probe into the incidents and immediate resignation of the home minister.