After MoS status, religious leaders cancel stir against MP govt's Narmada programme

In a move that can be seen as an attempt to control potential damage, religious leaders who were threatening to launch an agitation across Madhya Pradesh to "bring out the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government's" failure in addressing corruption, have been accorded Minister of State (MoS) status. But later on Wednesday, spiritual guru Uday Singh Deshmukh alias Bhaiyyu Maharaj said he will not accept the status. "A post holds no importance for a saint.
All he has ought to think of is service to the people. When a post or status does not touch your mind, intellect or conscience, why think about it," Bhaiyyu Maharaj told a news agency on the phone. The other religious heads include Computer Baba and Yogendra Mahant who had earlier announced to take out a rally against ‘Narmada plantation scam’ during a meeting in Indore. They had also decided to stage dharna at the state secretariat. One of them has already dropped the idea of the protest, official sources said.

"The state government came to know that both the sadhus had sent out messages to mobilise people across the state to join their yatras. Even the opposition would have liked it. The matter would have gone out of control for the BJP," a party leader said.

After meeting the seers on March 31, the state government first appointed them to a committee set up to "create awareness about tree plantation, water conservation and cleanliness along the Narmada." "Now they will have a house, a car and people watching them over which would suit the government," said the BJP insider.

The move also comes just days before Congress AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh is scheduled to finish his Narmada Parikrama across the state.

"The CM also wants to send out a good message to the RSS and some outfits which were upset with him till last year. So that he has more say during ticket distribution or during the expected rehauling of the state party unit by the party high command in the coming days," he added. In the last few days, Madhya Pradesh has also become the epicentre of Dalit protests with mob violence spreading to Gwalior, Bhind and Morena.