Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan gave a big message to the society by increasing the value of Dashmat

It is believed that power makes a person arrogant. The person sitting on the chair starts considering himself as God. The level of the ego is so high that the senses cannot touch it. Beyond the heart of the public, he remains shattered in the item of power. But Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has repeatedly proved this thinking wrong by his conduct. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is going to complete his fourth term as the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, does not flinch even around arrogance, sensitivity, humility, gratitude and simplicity are his companions even today. There is a deep message hidden in the way the Chief Minister has expressed his condolences after the shameful act of Sidhi district. Man’s self-respect is paramount. Everyone has to give him the respect he deserves as a human being. The effort of a strong person is not in exploiting the weak and helpless person, but it is his responsibility to become his courage by holding the hand of the victim, sitting with him and talking about his happiness and sorrow and hugging him intimately. This is what Shivraj Singh Chouhan is doing. He has presented an exemplary example of how a chief should be, by hugging Dashmat, a member of the Scheduled Tribe community. Along with sharing the grief of the victim, the Chief Minister has also given a message that whoever the culprit may be, he cannot escape after bringing shame to humanity. He will have to face the punishment of his actions.

Those who disagree with Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his political rivals must be saying that first a BJP worker urinates on a person and then the Chief Minister washes his feet, this is not atonement but a gimmick to cover the discredit of the government. Had there not been assembly elections in the near future, then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan would not have been doing all this. Anything can be said to be said, no one can stop anyone. But can the naysayers tell that before this they have seen any other Chief Minister atoning for the inhuman crime? Answer is- No. In order to underline and ensure the respect of the person who has been humiliated, which Chief Minister has repeatedly washed the feet of the victim? For this, the arrogance of power, the ego of being superior and special has to be left. Who is there in the camp of raising fingers, who even stays close to Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in sensitivity and humility?

From the very first day of assuming the responsibility of the head of the state, he has ensured respect for humanity. Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be found in thousands of pictures while increasing the respect of the poor, the deprived and the elderly. Anyone who has seen him closely has found him to be so easy and simple. Shivraj is not showing his humility for the first time by washing someone’s feet. On his birthday, he has honored the scavengers by washing their feet. During Kanya Pujan, they wash the feet of girls belonging to different castes and communities every year. They don’t even do all this for the politics of votes. It may be recalled that during his stay in Jharkhand on 19th July 2019, he had a meal in a tribal family and expressed his intimacy by washing the feet of an old woman there. He neither had to contest elections in Jharkhand nor was he going to become the Chief Minister there. Actually, this is their own way of respecting humanity, which they have inherited from their eternal culture.

On Wednesday, when he planted a sapling along with Sidhi’s Dashmat, he said in a tweet- “There is only one consciousness in all. Trees give life to everyone without any discrimination. Let us also become like trees. Planted saplings with Dashmat ji”. Apart from this, he made two more tweets in this regard on Wednesday, in which his feelings can be clearly felt. Chief Minister writes- “The mind is sad; Dashmat ji, this is an attempt to share your pain, I also apologize to you, for me the public is God”. This kind of moving of the chief on the insult of a person of his state is the identity of a large-hearted chief. Sharing the video of Dashmat washing his feet, he wrote- “I am sharing this video with you so that everyone understands that Shivraj Singh Chouhan is in Madhya Pradesh, so the people are God. Atrocities with anyone will not be tolerated. The respect of every citizen of the state is my respect”. This feeling is at the heart of the Chief Minister’s feelings. Such politicians are rare, for whom emotions and sensibilities are paramount in politics.

Just think, what is the work of the government? Taking legal action against the culprit and providing justice to the victim. The Chief Minister had done this work in a single day. As soon as the video of the heinous crime surfaced, the Chief Minister, realizing the heart and sensitivity of the incident, immediately issued instructions to the administration to take strict action. Even before the night passed, the accused was nabbed and put behind bars. The illegal construction of the accused was demolished with impartiality. The traditional disruptors who gave ethnic color to this matter were also satisfied with the fair and stern action taken by the government. But for Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, this matter was not so much. How could a chief’s heart remain calm at the gross insult to humanity in his own state. The scene we all saw at the Chief Minister’s residence must have brought peace to two troubled hearts (Dashmat and Shivraj Singh Chouhan). However, according to the information revealed so far, this incident happened when Shivraj Singh Chouhan was not the Chief Minister of the state. Why the video of the crime which took place almost three years back was released now, it must be investigated. However, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has given a message to the society by drawing a broad line through his conduct that there is no bigger crime than insulting humanity. It should become our nature to treat others the way we want to be treated. Never forget this philosophy of your culture – “Aham Brahmasmi – I am Brahman. Tatvamasi – That Brahman is you”.

– Deepali Shukla

(The author is a senior journalist and anchor in Zee Media.)