Digvijaya Singh, the backroom strategist of the Congress that the BJP loves to punch

In the high-stakes battle for Madhya Pradesh, the Congress party seems to have neatly divided the responsibilities between its two senior leaders - Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh

It has been 20 years since the Digvijaya Singh-led Congress government lost power in Madhya Pradesh over the BSP factor — bijli, sadak and pani — but the BJP continues to train its guns on Mr. Singh and his 10-year-rule.

“The team of Kamal Nath-Digvijaya Singh ruled MP for 10 years and Digvijaya ji was the Chief Minister. What was the situation then in M.P.? They made it a BIMARU State,” Home Minister Amit Shah said at a public rally in M.P.’s Datia on Monday.

The acronym BIMARU, coined by demographer Ashish Bose, refers to the States of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh because of their poor economic and social development indices.

Also read | Congress will do well in M.P. polls, Scindia’s absence won’t impact its prospects: Digvijaya Singh

“The entire Chambal area, from Datia to Bhind-Morena, was full of outlaws, dacoits and gangs. People couldn’t step out of their homes in the evening. All those gangs have been eliminated now,” Mr. Shah added.

Beyond the law and order issues, Mr. Singh’s 10-year-old rule (1993-2003) became synonymous with acute power shortage, poor condition of roads and water scarcity. Though he took a self-imposed exile from electoral politics for 10 years after being ousted by the BJP in 2003, the saffron party continues to target him over his controversial statements.

By 2018, the Congress had recalibrated its strategy by projecting the collective leadership of Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia (then with the Congress) and keeping Mr. Singh in the background. However, the former Chief Minister continues to be one of the biggest backroom strategists for the party in M.P.