Chhattisgarh minister walks out of Assembly over allegations of attacking MLA

Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singh Deo on Tuesday walked out of the legislative assembly demanding that his government issue a “clear statement” addressing accusations that he was behind an attack on fellow Congress legislator Brihaspat Singh, triggering a crisis for the ruling Congress party in the state

Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singh Deo on Tuesday walked out of the legislative assembly demanding that his government issue a “clear statement” addressing accusations that he was behind an attack on fellow Congress legislator Brihaspat Singh, triggering a crisis for the ruling Congress party in the state.

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Tuesday was the second day of the monsoon session that witnessed sharp exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches over the alleged attack that occurred on July 24 in Surguja district. Singh, the legislator from Ramanujanj, alleged that a vehicle in his convoy was attacked by three people, including a relative of the health minister.

Singh Deo had denied the charge and said that he had instructed the police to take strict action against the perpetrators.

Singh Deo was seen among the contenders for the chief minister’s post when the party swept back to power in 2018. Singh has linked the alleged attack to his praise of chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and for advocating that the incumbent continue. He alleged this was a reason behind the attack.

On Tuesday, home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu gave a statement in the House and described it as a case of road rage. But the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised doubts about it and claimed the statement didn’t refer to allegations made by Singh on Singh Deo.

Leader of opposition and BJP leader Dharamlal Kaushik called it an unfortunate incident for the Congress as well as the state since such allegations have never been levelled by any lawmaker in the state in the past.

On Monday, too, the BJP had demanded that the House take suo motu cognisance of it and institute an inquiry. It reiterated its point on Tuesday and said the statements of both the health minister and the MLA should be recorded in the case.

Subsequently, assembly speaker Charan Das Mahant said that since he hasn’t received any complaint, either from MLA Singh or the health minister, there was no basis for him to ask them to speak on the issue.

Amid the commotion that ensued, Singh Deo stood up and said, “Yesterday (Monday), the chief minister (Bhupesh Baghel) had called us to his chamber and a discussion took place (on the alleged rift). Even after that, a limited statement (from the home minister) came before the House.”

“I do not believe that I am in a position to attend the House till the government presents a clear reply on the issue… I do not consider myself eligible to participate in the proceedings of this House till the time the government does not put out a clear reply in my context,” he said, before walking out of the House and refusing to speak to the media.

This led to uproar in the House, following which the speaker adjourned the proceedings for 10 minutes.

When the House reassembled, the opposition members, including BJP’s Brijmohan Agrawal and Ajay Chandrakar, said till the issue is not resolved, other business should not be taken up in the House.

Kaushik and former chief minister Raman Singh said for the sake of the dignity of the House and its members, the matter should be probed by a House panel.

The BJP MLAs trooped into the well of the House in support of their demand, following which the Speaker adjourned the House for the day.

Later, Singh Deo returned to the assembly and told reporters that he got a call from his cabinet colleagues and had come back.

He was then seen going to CM Baghel’s chamber in the assembly, and when he returned, he told the media that he had spoken with Baghel and PL Punia, who is the All India Congress Committee’s Chhattisgarh in-charge.

Congress spokesperson and senior leader Shailesh Nitin Trivedi later said that he isn’t aware of what transpired in this meeting, but “everything is fine”.

Experts, however, aren’t convinced and suspect the state Congress is experiencing internal turmoil. “The crisis in the ruling party is not only unfortunate but also wholly avoidable and should have been solved in-house. It is sad that instead of focusing on the pre-poll promises made to the people of Chhattisgarh, the ruling party is doing all this. If this persists, the next election will be a cakewalk for the BJP, which so far doesn’t look battle-ready,” said Sudiep Shrivastva , a political commentator based in Chhattisgarh.

Parivesh Mishra, another political expert, said the development is unfortunate for the Congress in Chhattisgarh. “T S Singh Deo is perceived by the people as polite, suave — basically, a nice guy. Brihaspat Singh, on the other hand, has a history of publicly accusing a district collector, an IAS officer, and a BJP parliamentarian of the same offence. The charges didn’t stick in the past, and they are unlikely to stick this time too,” Mishra said, adding that the party would damage itself if it accords any credibility to Singh’s charge.

Congress governments have seen internal turmoil in recent times, requiring the high command to get involved in quelling trouble in Punjab and Rajasthan.