Bhopal,  The economic condition of the state will likely be one of the key issue in the upcoming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, with the Opposition Congress hitting out at the ruling BJP time and again over this particular issue. On the other hand, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is making all possible efforts to counter the Congress and also to present a better report card before the people during the elections.

Although, the BJP pats its back claiming that the state has witnessed tremendous growth in the last 17 years under Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the increasing state debt has been a major concern and the Congress is making no mistake in cornering the ruling party over the economic condition of the state. Usually, economic issues do not get much space during the elections and the political parties emphasise more on caste equations, regions, tribals and some other issues, but this time the Congress has been picking up economic issue to attack the BJP.

Therefore, the global invest summit, which is going to be held after a three-year gap in Madhya Pradesh's economic city Indore in January 2023, will be crucial for the Chouhan government. The present situation suggests that the BJP government is making all out efforts to invite investors and convince them to establish industries in Madhya Pradesh.

Moving ahead with his plan, Chouhan on Thursday visited Mumbai and held meetings with nearly a dozen businessmen and invited them to invest in Madhya Pradesh. During the meeting, Chouhan tried to convince the businessmen that there is great scope for flourishing business in Madhya Pradesh. As per the information, Chouhan met the heads or senior officials of the business firms, which have already invested in Madhya Pradesh. He also met some new investors and invited them to establish industries in Madhya Pradesh.

"I have come here to meet you all not because I am Chief Minister and it is my duty to attend this investment meeting, but I have come with full preparation and to tell you all that the doors of growth are open in Madhya Pradesh. For making self reliant India, we have have to make self reliant Madhya Pradesh, and you and me can make it happen," Chouhan said during the meeting with investors.

The Congress has been taking on the Shivraj government on economic issues. The opposition led by the former Chief Minister and the state Congress president Kamal Nath, who is also a successful businessman and has a long experience of heading ministries during the Congress rule at the Centre is trying to make the economic condition of the state an issue ahead of the election.

"Employment won't come from visiting mandir (temple) and masjid (mosque) but it will come from economic growth and by establishing industries in Madhya Pradesh. The BJP government has put Madhya Pradesh under hugh debt burden and most of the money borrowed as loans from banks is being used for publicity," Nath said while addressing a rally last week in Jabalpur.

As per reports, the debt of the Madhya Pradesh government has cross over Rs 3 lakh crore, out of which around Rs 14,000 crores have been burrowed from different banks between April and October this year. However, the BJP leaders defend the increasing debt burden year after year saying the government is borrowing money to improve the life of the people in the state.

The global investment summit would be a crucial opportunity for Shivraj Singh Chouhan to convince a large number of business houses to invest in Madhya Pradesh and if he is successful it would give an edge to the BJP during the election campaign.