Chhattisgarh CM Baghel, Singh Deo to meet party high command in Delhi on Tuesday

Amidst rumours of a tiff over reported power-sharing arrangement in the ruling Congress party in Chhattisgarh, chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and health minister TS Singh Deo will meet Congress high command in Delhi on Tuesday, people familiar will the development said, adding that the meeting is scheduled in the afternoon, in the presence of party’s Chhattisgarh in-charge and PL Punia

Amidst rumours of a tiff over reported power-sharing arrangement in the ruling Congress party in Chhattisgarh, chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and health minister TS Singh Deo will meet Congress high command in Delhi on Tuesday, people familiar will the development said, adding that the meeting is scheduled in the afternoon, in the presence of party’s Chhattisgarh in-charge and PL Punia.

File photo: Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel.

“The CM’s meeting was scheduled about one-and-half months ago. It is a review meeting and obviously, the power-sharing formula will be discussed. Singh Deo and Baghel both will be present in the meeting,” said a leader close to Baghel.

The tension between Baghel and Singh Deo started brewing after June 17, the day when the CM completed two and half years of his post.

The CM’s post-sharing formula has been the talking point in Chhattisgarh’s political circle after Congress came to power in December 2018 when Baghel and his two senior cabinet colleagues, Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu, were leading the contenders for the top post. Since then, speculations were rife that consensus was built for the top post based on a two-and-a-half-year power-sharing formula between Baghel and Singh Deo.

In response to the near-constant speculation, both leaders have taken the stance that decisions will be taken by the high command, and they will follow the instructions from Delhi.

Singh Deo, when asked about the meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, said, “You should ask Punia ji (PL Punia), he is the correct person to provide more details.”

Punia was unavailable for a comment even after repeated phone calls.

Earlier this month, Singh Deo was in Delhi and also met some senior leaders in the national capital, but when asked he denied and claimed that he was on a personal visit.

People within the Congress believe that Singh Deo was also continuously ignored in some of the important meetings during the Covid-19 pandemic despite him being the health minister which further escalated tension between the two leaders.

“We know what is going on between Singh Deo and Baghel in Chhattisgarh. On Tuesday, a possible discussion on everything will take place in presence of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. I don’t know the sequence and timing of the meetings but both will meet the Chhattisgarh leaders and all issues, including the power-sharing formula will surely be discussed,” said a senior Congress leader in Delhi.

Last week, Singh Deo wrote a letter to the commissioner of the state public relations department seeking action against a news portal that ran a story saying chief minister Baghel will resign on August 17 and attributed the information to the former.

In the letter written to the department on Monday, Singh Deo demanded ‘strict action’ against the news portal saying that it is a ‘planned conspiracy’ to ‘pollute’ the political environment of the state.

The issue of power-sharing between the two leaders was raised by assembly speaker and senior Congress leader Charan Das Mahant about ten days back.

Mahanta said that he, along with senior leaders Baghel, Singh Deo, and home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, played the semifinals for the CM post and the finale was in progress.

“Semifinals were between four people, and only two remained. But one who wins the finals is eventually the winner. Rahul ji (Rahul Gandhi) knows all about this formula and only Delhi can give more information about it,” Mahanta added.

On July 27, the differences within the party came to the fore when Singh Deo walked out of the state assembly demanding clarity from his government over allegations that the minister’s relative was involved in an alleged attack on Congress legislator Brihaspat Singh.

The issue began after Singh alleged that his convoy was attacked at the behest of Singh Deo in Surguja district, which is the health minister’s assembly constituency.

Later, after the intervention of PL Punia, the issue was resolved and Singh Deo returned to assembly after Singh apologised for his statements against the minister.