Chouhan visits Narottam over breakfast, keeps observers guessing

Bhopal: Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday made a surprise visit to the official residence of his cabinet colleague and home minister, Narottam Mishra. The meeting took political observers by surprise as it comes in the backdrop of rumblings within the party over cabinet expansion and tickets for by-polls on 24 seats in Madhya Pradesh.
Chouhan is learnt to have discussed with Mishra the impact of Balendu Shukla quitting the BJP in the Gwalior-Chambal region.However, he later told reporters that this was a casual meeting over breakfast.
Chouhan reached Mishra's house at Char Imli area in the morning without any official alert and held a close-door meeting for almost half-an-hour. Sources said the two leaders discussed strategy to thwart Congress' plans to lure BJP leaders.
Chouhan later told reporters, "I am chief minister and he (Mishra) is home minister. We had worked together since the era of Yuva Morcha (youth front) in the party. Narottam had been requesting a breakfast meeting at his residence, so I decided to join. This breakfast meeting was long awaited otherwise we meet everyday in the office," Chouhan told reporters on the get-together.
Replying to the Congress allegations on damage to the wheat and gram crops lying in open during rains, the chief minister said that 94% crops have been stored inside warehouses. "The Congress could not control Covid-19 in the state. It also failed to provide jute bags ahead of procurement of Rabi crops. Still, we have procured a record 126 metric tonne of wheat during the season. Procurement was suspended due to rains but, farmers need not worry about their crop. I am here for them," said Chouhan
BJP sources said the two leaders discussed the impact of Balendu Shukla quitting the party on 24 seats where by-polls are scheduled soon. Shukla, who was uneasy ever since Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the saffron party in March, decided to return to Congress. The former Congress minister holds sway on a few seats in Gwalior region including, Gwalior and Gwalior South, from where he had unsuccessfully contested elections in 2003 and 2008.