'Thrust into adulthood at 10': Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo says he never had time to play

NEW DELHI: Having lost his father at the age of 10, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai says he had no chance to experience a normal childhood. As the eldest of four siblings, he had to shoulder family responsibilities early on — leaving no time for play, fun, or personal pursuits. Now, he says, his only source of fulfillment is public service.
In an interview with PTI Videos on Sunday, Sai reflected on his upbringing, family, and political journey, which began when he was elected a village panchayat member at a young age.
He became a sarpanch at 26 in 1990. "I had never imagined I would become the sarpanch," he said. But that was just the beginning. Sai went on to be elected as MLA three times and MP four times.
He reached the pinnacle of his political career in 2023 when he was sworn in as the first tribal Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. “While former CM Ajit Jogi is also said to have held that distinction, his tribal status remained in dispute until his demise,” Sai added.
Recounting his childhood, Sai said, “I lost my father when I was just 10 years old. My youngest brother was only two months old at the time. As the eldest, I had to take care of my mother, my younger brothers, and our farmland in Bagia village (Jashpur district).”
With his uncles living in different villages, young Sai had to manage on his own. “I focused on farming and educating my brothers so they could succeed in life,” he said.
Sai quit college when villagers urged him to enter public service. After serving five years as a panchayat member, he was elected sarpanch unopposed in 1990.
Six months later, during the state assembly elections, the BJP fielded him from the Tapkara seat (in erstwhile Madhya Pradesh). “I was just 25 or 26 and told the party I wasn’t ready to be an MLA. But I contested and won, beginning my legislative journey,” he recalled.
He retained the seat in 1993 but lost the 1998 election from Pathalgaon. Later, he was elected to the Lok Sabha from Raigarh four times in a row — in 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014. When the Narendra Modi government came to power in 2014, Sai was appointed Union Minister of State for Steel and Mines.
He also served as the BJP's Chhattisgarh president from 2006 to 2010, and again in 2014 and 2020, following the party’s defeat in the 2018 state elections.
"I entered politics for janseva (public service). Listening to people's concerns and helping resolve them gives me deep satisfaction," Sai said. “I never imagined becoming a politician, but whatever responsibilities I was given, I fulfilled them with honesty and dedication.”
Sai fondly remembered how his Delhi home was dubbed “mini AIIMS” when he was an MP. “Whenever senior BJP leader Dilip Singh Judeo visited, he used to say that because my house was always full of relatives of patients admitted to AIIMS,” he said.
As a Union Minister, he would arrange meals for 70–80 people daily whose loved ones were in the hospital. Now, as CM, he continues similar work through a new facility in Raipur.
“Even after becoming CM, I’ve established the Kunkuri Sadan where people from across the state coming to Raipur for treatment can get assistance and guidance,” he said.
Despite initially having no political ambitions, Sai hails from a family with deep political roots. His grandfather, Budhnath Sai, was a nominated MLA in undivided Madhya Pradesh from 1947 to 1952. His uncle Narhari Prasad Sai served as an MLA three times, an MP (1977–79), and a Union Minister in the Janata Party government. His father’s elder brother, Kedarnath Sai, was also elected MLA from Tapkara as a Jan Sangh member. His cousin Rohit Sai followed the same path.
From a childhood marked by hardship to the top post in the state, Sai says humility and service have been his guiding values.