Third-time Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan played to the gallery a day after he was sworn in, by paying a visit to a slum, promising to tax the rich and regularise dwellings and returning a playground to students.
Mr. Chouhan began his first day in office on Sunday at the Anna Nagar slums in the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited area.
Taking a leaf out of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s book, Mr. Chouhan had lunch with a slum dweller, Pramod Sukware.
“Mr. Sukware’s wife and sister served food with great affection... The meal comprised tuar ki daal , roti, a dry vegetable dish made of potatoes and bean pods, rice with papad and a carrot salad. Mr. Chouhan took the meal, sitting on earth,” an official release said.
Mr. Chouhan told the slum dwellers who have been residing there for around five decades that he would ask the Centre to grant them deeds for the land which belongs to the public sector undertakings.
He also told officials to submit a list of all the labourers living in the huts to the Building and Other Construction Works Board.
The Chief Minister said: “Your uncle Shivraj will never let you go hungry or homeless. We will tax the rich to provide you basic amenities so your children can have a brighter future.”
Before leaving, he made the residents take an oath that they would send their children to school, stop drinking alcohol and treat girls and boys equally.
In the afternoon, Mr. Chouhan visited the grounds of his alma mater, Hamidia College, for a youth event called Yuva Samvad.
After the Chief Minister spoke to the students about the Beti Bachao Abhiyan scheme to end female foeticide, one student complained that the grounds where the boys played was occupied by the Dau Saheb Cricket Academy.
The academy is run by former BJP MLA Dhruv Narayan Singh.
Mr. Chouhan ordered district collector Nishant Warwade to have the establishment removed, which was done minutes after his cavalcade drove out.
Mr. Chouhan’s actions come a day after local television channels devoted special shows to compare him with his party’s prime-ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
