Let Congress declare its CM candidate in MP: Modi

Taking potshots at the faction-ridden Congress in Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday challenged the party to declare its chief ministerial candidate.

Addressing a campaign rally here, Modi said that how can a party chief, who is unable to decide the CM face, take decisions about the future of the people.

The Congress, which is in opposition in Madhya Pradesh since 2003, has not declared its chief ministerial face to take on BJP's Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the state which is going to the polls on November 28.

"The Congress party in the state speaks in eight different languages in eight regions of the state. Every area has its own leader. You go to one area, they say the leader from there will be the chief minister. They are having eight CM faces....I challenge the party to declare its chief ministerial candidate," Modi said.

"How can a party chief, who cannot even decide who will be the chief minister, decide your future," the prime minister asked.

During the Congress rule, Madhya Pradesh was counted among 'BIMARU' states (a group of backward states) while under the BJP it is known as "Maximum Progress" (MP) state, he said, while appealing people to keep the Congress away from power.

The Congress' state unit has been faction-ridden with Digvijay Singh, Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia leading some of the groups, though the party has maintained that it is united in its fight against the BJP.

The Prime Minister also referred to the "bad roads" of Madhya Pradesh under the Congress rule.

When Digvijay Singh was the chief minister, people came to know that they had reached Madhya Pradesh the moment they entered the state thanks to its pot-holed roads, Modi said.