‘Letter’ fuels rumors of power struggle in MP

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav (second right) and senior cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya (second left) in Bhopal in 2024. | Photo credit: AM FARUQUI

The long-running furor over the power tussle between Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and senior cabinet minister Kailash Vijayvargiya intensified on Wednesday after a local report claimed that the latter had written a letter to the CM raising various concerns such as non-cooperation and alleged neglect of Indore, his home turf, by the government.

A warning has been issued

The report, published by the Hindi daily, also cites a letter claiming that the Minister for Urban Development and Housing and Parliamentary Affairs has alleged that officials in the departments he heads are being transferred without his knowledge. According to the report, he also issued a warning that if the issues related to the development of Indore are not resolved soon, he must go public.

“As the head of state and the minister in charge of my home constituency (Indore), I expected cooperation from you. However, for the last two and a half years, I have only met with non-cooperation, neglect and opposition. The transfers within my department are being made without my knowledge. Far from accelerating the development of Indore, it is also not getting its rights. Unless these issues are forced to raise public voice,” the report quoted the letter as saying.

In the letter, Mr Vijayvargiya also highlighted five issues alleged to have been neglected by Indore, including the delay in issuing the city’s next master plan and its omission from education and infrastructure projects linked to the Simhastha Kumbh Mela planned for 2028 in Ujjain, according to the report.

He also alleged neglect of the Indore-Pithampur industrial area and delays in various projects, while expressing displeasure over the inclusion of Ujjain in the plans to develop the metropolitan area around Indore and the naming of the Indore-Ujjain metropolitan area.

The minister replied to questions from journalists: “I don’t know where you came to know about this letter. You should ask the newspaper people where it came from and whether it is true or false.”

“The Struggle Within the Government.”

However, the opposition Congress targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for “infighting” in the government. “The gurus have turned into jaggery and the disciples have become refined sugar! Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya finally had to write a letter to the Chief Minister pointing out the neglect of development in Indore! The public is dying in this struggle for power and dominance!” the party said in a statement.

“After CM got full control over Ujjain, he sidelined heroes to build dominance in Indore too!”

A BJP leader from Indore told The Hindu that “this is not the first letter written by the CM”.

While Mr Vijayvargiya, the MLA from Indore, was among the likely CM candidates after the BJP swept the 2023 parliamentary polls, the current push is largely driven by dominance in Indore, the state’s financial capital, and Mr Yadav’s focus on his home town of Ujjain.

Rumors of a conflict between the two are rife in the corridors of power of the state. Mr. Vijayvargiya and various BJP leaders from Indore have often claimed in their public speeches that government and civic officials in the city have stopped listening to them.

During a public event in Indore in December 2025, Mr Vijayvargiya is learned to have told the CM that the officials “intimidated us by using your name”. In 2025, Mr. Vijayvargiya was one of the few senior ministers to skip several cabinet meetings in a row. The current controversy also comes amid speculation of a cabinet reshuffle after the monsoon session of the Assembly.

Published – 02 Jul 2026 01:18 IST