E-Paper
Congress sees strife in Chhattisgarh, MLA accuses minister of conspiracy
Brihaspat Singh, Chhattisgarh Congress MLA from the Ramanujanj constituency, alleged that one of the persons who attacked his convoy in the Ambikapur town on Saturday evening was a distant relative of state health minister TS Singh Deo.
Congress, which is reportedly dealing with internal strifes in its Punjab and Rajasthan units, now faces inklings of a conflict in Chhattisgarh. Brihaspat Singh, a party MLA, alleged on Sunday that an attack was carried out on his convoy a day prior at the behest of state health minister TS Singh Deo. "The accused, while allegedly attacking my convoy's follow vehicle, were asking for me from my security personnel," Singh was quoted as saying. "It means the plan was to attack me."
Also Read | Chhattisgarh Cong MLA alleges his convoy was ‘attacked’ at behest of minister
Brihaspat Singh, Congress MLA from the Ramanujanj constituency, alleged that one of the persons who attacked his convoy in the Ambikapur town on Saturday evening was a distant relative of Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singh Deo.
Singh indicated that the health minister, once a leading contender for the post of the chief minister in Chhattisgarh, may not have taken the MLA's comments praising CM Bhupesh Baghel for his work; hence the attack. "Recently, during a press conference, I said that there is no rotational chief minister post arrangement in the state and that chief minister Bhupesh Bahel has been doing a great job," the Congress MLA said while speaking to reporters. "If he continues to do the same work he will remain in the post for the next 20-25 years."
Also Read | Bhupesh Baghel to work in UP if Congress wants someone else as Chhattisgarh CM
For context, the CM 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 T S Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu were the top contenders for the 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.
Highlighting the matter, Brihaspat Singh said, "It is very unfortunate that family members of the state's health minister attacked (my convoy) on his directions." The Congress MLA claimed that if he would have been in "that car" (his follow vehicle), he would have been "attacked with guns."
Reacting to the allegations, Chhattisgarh health minister TS Singh Deo simply said that the people in his area and in the state know him very well and are aware of his image in the public domain. "In Surguja and parts of the state, people know more about me than myself," the minister, who represents the Surguja seat, was quoted as saying. "There is nothing more to say than this. My image is completely in the public domain, nothing is hidden.”
(With inputs from HT correspondent)
