Madhya Pradesh Minister PC Sharma on Tuesday compared the condition of roads in the state to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kailash Vijayvargiya’s cheeks and said the ruling Congress would soon make them as smooth as BJP MP Hema Malini’s cheeks instead, ANI reported.

“Roads in Madhya Pradesh were built like that of Washington. What has happened to these,” he asked after an inspection of the streets of Habibgang area in Bhopal. “After heavy rain, there are potholes everywhere. Presently, the condition of roads is like stains of smallpox. It seems that the condition of the roads has become like Kailash Vijayvargiya’s cheeks.”

Sharma added that the roads will be repaired within 15 days on Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s orders. “Very soon, we will make these roads like Hema Malini’s cheeks,” he added.

Sharma was referring to former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s statement in 2017 comparing the roads in the state to those in the United States’ capital city Washington DC. “When I got down at the Washington Airport and travelled on the road, I felt the roads in Madhya Pradesh are better than the United States,” he had said.

Last week, Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Gopal Bhargava had blamed the state government for the deteriorating condition of roads in the state, according to the Hindustan Times. “Roads in the state are shabby. Due to which, accidents are taking place every day,” he had tweeted. “Instead of working, the state government runs away from responsibility by accusing the central government of not cooperating on everything.” He added that the state had a large budget, which the government should use to repair the roads.

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