Bhopal, Oct 9 (IANS): Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday slammed Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut for his claim that the 'Ladli Behna Yojana' proved to be a failure in Madhya Pradesh.
Talking to Press reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday, Sanjay Raut said that the 'Ladli Behna Yojana' wasn't a successful scheme but a "political gamble", which has not been successful wherever it was introduced.
"You can see what happened in Madhya Pradesh. Because of Ladli Behna Yojana the economy of Madhya Pradesh collapsed and the scheme was stopped a few months after it was implemented," Raut had said.
Responding to Raut's claim, CM Yadav said that the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader has made false claims about the scheme in Madhya Pradesh.
CM Yadav said the Opposition has started making misleading claims out of fear of defeat in the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra.
"More than 1.29 crore women are availing the benefits of the Ladli Behna Yojana in Madhya Pradesh, and they are receiving Rs 1,250 per month. There was not a single month when the installment was delayed. Sanjay Raut has made a false statement," Yadav said.
Notably, the 'Ladli Behna Yojana' cash incentive scheme for women was first introduced in Madhya Pradesh a few months before the Assembly elections.
The scheme was an extension of the 'Ladli Laxmi Yojana' introduced by former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in 2008.
Interestingly, before the Assembly elections in November 2023, the BJP government was facing a high anti-incumbency factor against the nearly two-decades-old Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh.
An astute politician, Chouhan announced the scheme four months ahead of the Assembly elections and he campaigned extensively.
Chouhan's government had spent a huge amount of money for advertising the Ladli Behna Yojana.
The scheme resulted in a massive victory for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and it returned to power after securing 163 out of 230 Assembly seats.
Even the Opposition Congress has accepted that the cash incentive scheme was a big factor for the BJP’s victory in MP.
Interestingly, when the BJP returned to power in Madhya Pradesh in December last year, and the four-time ex-CM was replaced with Mohan Yadav, there was apprehension whether Chouhan's flagship scheme would continue or not.
However, the Mohan Yadav-led BJP government continues to pay the amount to more than 1.29 crore beneficiaries.