‘Ladli Behna beneficiaries who skip CM’s event will be probed’:Minister Shah’s remarks at official meeting spark controversy; says recipients must ‘thank’ govt

A major controversy erupted at a District Development Advisory Committee meeting in Ratlam after Minister-in-charge Dr Vijay Shah made remarks on the Ladli Behna Yojana that are being seen as pressure and an indirect threat to beneficiaries. The minister said that if the government is giving crores of rupees, Ladli Behna beneficiaries should come to honour the Chief Minister—and those who do not attend will have their verification kept pending. Minister seeks turnout of beneficiaries During the meeting, Dr Shah asked officials from the Women and Child Development Department about the number of Ladli Behna beneficiaries in the district.The official replied that around 2.5 lakh women are enrolled in the scheme. The minister then said that as two years have passed since the Chief Minister took office, at least 50,000 beneficiaries should come to show respect. ‘If crores are given, thanks are due’ Speaking from the stage, Dr Shah said the government is giving crores of rupees under the scheme at Rs 1,500 per month. He added that beneficiaries should express gratitude once every two years and assured that food arrangements would be made for the event. He then made a controversial statement, saying that cases where payments had increased by Rs 250 would be checked. He added that if Aadhaar was not linked, investigations could be kept pending. He remarked that once this happens, everyone would attend. After these comments, many officials and public representatives appeared uncomfortable. Details of the Ladli Behna Yojana Under the Madhya Pradesh government’s Ladli Behna Yojana, about 1.27 crore women receive financial assistance. Each beneficiary currently gets Rs 1,500 per month through direct benefit transfer to bank accounts. Earlier, the amount was Rs 1,250 per month. It was increased by Rs 250 on the occasion of Bhai Dooj. The scheme aims to provide financial security and empower women. Second controversy during the same meeting Another dispute broke out during the meeting when a mechanic from the Renewable Energy Department was sent to give a presentation instead of an officer. Angered by this, Dr Shah said, “Is this a joke? Ministers and MLAs are sitting here and you sent a mechanic. Get out of here, or I will start using abusive language.” Calling it departmental indiscipline, he directed his personal assistant to write to the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary. Mechanic explains his presence The mechanic, Santosh Tanwar, later clarified that he had come to the meeting on the instructions of a senior departmental officer. After hearing this, the minister thanked him and asked him to leave the meeting. During the session, Dr Shah also questioned the overall working style of government officers. Minister’s past controversies Dr Vijay Shah has been involved in several controversies in the past. At a programme in Raikunda village in Mhow, Indore, he made an objectionable remark about Indian Army Colonel Sophia Qureshi, saying the Prime Minister had sent “their sister” to teach a lesson to enemies. He later apologised, and the matter reached the Supreme Court. Earlier remarks and resignations Before the 2013 Assembly elections, Shah made an indecent comment about Sadhna Singh, the wife of then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, at an event in Jhabua. Following the backlash, he resigned from the Cabinet. In September 2022, he also commented on Rahul Gandhi being unmarried, suggesting that people question men who are not married by the age of 50–55. Vidya Balan incident In November 2023, Shah expressed a desire to meet actress Vidya Balan at night during a film shoot in Balaghat. After she objected, the Forest Department stopped the shooting. When the issue gained national attention, both Shah and the department later withdrew their actions.