Mohan Yadav Faces Criticism Over Remark At Sarpanch Conference
Congress accuses Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav of insulting government employees with his recent remark.
A political controversy erupted in Madhya Pradesh after Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s comment at a state-level sarpanch conference in Bhopal drew strong criticism from the Congress. Addressing thousands of panchayat representatives at Jamburi Maidan, Yadav made a statement perceived as derogatory toward government employees, prompting the opposition to demand a public apology. State Congress president Jitu Patwari accused the Chief Minister of “insulting government officials and undermining the principles of Gram Swaraj.”
During his address, Yadav emphasized his government’s commitment to decentralised governance and rural empowerment but courted controversy when he said, “Koi sachiv agar kaam nahi karega to saale ko hata denge, inki kya aukaat? (If a secretary doesn’t work, we’ll remove him. What is their worth?)” The remark quickly sparked outrage, with Congress leaders calling it inappropriate and disrespectful. Yadav, however, maintained that his intent was to assert the power of sarpanches as key executors of development programs across villages.
The Chief Minister announced several major initiatives during the event, including authorising panchayats to execute development projects worth up to Rs 25 lakh and allocating Rs 50,000 to each panchayat representative for local development. He also sanctioned the construction of 2,472 Atal Panchayat Bhavans, 1,037 community halls, 106 Janpad Panchayat offices, and five Zila Panchayat buildings across the state. Yadav hailed sarpanches as “the backbone of rural development,” stressing that their leadership would determine the progress of Madhya Pradesh’s villages.
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Reacting to the remarks, Congress chief Jitu Patwari accused Yadav of “abusing government officials” and derailing the spirit of participatory governance enshrined in Gram Swaraj. “The Chief Minister should be ashamed of abusing secretaries and employment assistants instead of protecting their rights,” Patwari said. He alleged corruption within the rural development department, claiming it operated on a “50 per cent commission” model and urged secretaries and village officers to register their protest.
The controversy comes as Madhya Pradesh gears up for the panchayat election season, a politically sensitive period for both major parties. While the ruling BJP dismissed the Congress criticism as “political theatrics,” opposition leaders say Yadav’s comment reflects growing arrogance within the state government. Political observers suggest that the backlash could impact the government’s ongoing rural outreach programs aimed at strengthening the Panchayati Raj system ahead of upcoming polls.
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