E-Paper
‘Nothing to share with media’: Singh Deo after meeting Sonia Gandhi
In December 2018, in the aftermath of a dominant Congress performance when the party won 68 of 90 seats, even as the party’s Delhi leadership sought to put out leadership fires in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh emerged as a problem area too.
Hours after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi, on Wednesday, reportedly over the power sharing agreement between him and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, state health minister TS Singh Deo said that he had “nothing to share with media” about the meeting.
On returning to Raipur from New Delhi, Singh Deo said, “If any developments take place I will surely share with the media …But till now I have nothing to share with you.”
This is the first time that Singh Deo met Sonia Gandhi after the tussle between him and Baghel started in mid- August over a power sharing agreement.
On August 28, emerging after a lengthy meeting with the Congress high command on suggestions that Baghel should move aside because of a reported two-and-a-half-year power sharing agreement with Singh Deo, the CM seemed to have bought some time. Baghel had said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would visit the state, especially Bastar. The Congress leader is yet to visit Chhattisgarh.
The following day, when Singh Deo returned, he said that he had spoken to the leadership too and they had taken a “decision”.
In December 2018, in the aftermath of a dominant Congress performance when the party won 68 of 90 seats, even as the party’s Delhi leadership sought to put out leadership fires in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh emerged as a problem area too. Four state leaders, Baghel, home minister Tamradhwaj Sahu, speaker Charan Das Mahant and Singh Deo flew to Delhi, all eyeing the chief minister’s post. As Mahant settled for speaker, friction between Baghel and Singh Deo meant that Sahu emerged as the frontrunner, but pushed by the idea that a third leader would take the top position, Baghel and Singh Deo, along with Punia and Gandhi, reportedly arrived at a power-sharing arrangement.
