Nirendra Dev
New Delhi: Amid quite a few high profile political developments at the national level, politics for ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh has turned murkier.
Chhattisgarh Health Minister and a Congress veteran T S Singh Deo left his party and the state government embarrassed as he staged a walk out of the assembly.
Congress high command has been doing tight rope walk in Rajasthan and Punjab.
Singh Deo demanded an inquiry or a statement by the state government on the floor of the assembly over allegations of him (Singh Deo himself) organising an alleged attack on fellow Congress party MLA Brihaspat Singh.
The BJP has obviously demanded clarification.
Brihaspat Singh, MLA from the Ramanujanj constituency, has alleged that one of the persons who attacked his convoy in the Ambikapur town on Saturday was a relative of state Health Minister TS Singh Deo.
"Our party demands that a clarification should be presented before the State Assembly and the Chhattisgarh public at the earliest over the statements made in the House today (by Singh Deo)," senior BJP leader and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said.
Meanwhile, the state Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has drawn himself to a major political row after a move has been mooted to bring a new law (or legislation) to acquire a private college owned by CM's son-in-law’s kin. Media reports said Bhupesh Baghel government is working on a Bill to acquire privately-owned Chandulal Chandrakar Memorial Medical College in Durg.
This college is owned by Chandulal Chandrakar Memorial Hospital (CCMH), an unlisted private company, registered in March 1997. Chandulal Chandrakar was a Congress leader and a five-term Lok Sabha MP from Durg, He was also a Union minister in the past and expired in 1995 before the formation of Chhattisgarh state. The hospital was promoted in his memory by the Chandrakar community, reports said.
BJP leader and Union Minister of State for IT, Rajeev Chandrashekhar took a potshot tweeting: "Meanwhile Congress continues its long tradition of “helping” families using public money…"
Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also tweeted in Hindi stating the new law is being enacted to help "son-in-law of Bhupesh Baghel" and state government's funds will be spent.
"Kaun bikau hae, aur kaun tikau," he wrote in reference to Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhiattacking Scindia for deserting Congress and joining the BJP.
In his missive in the micro blogging site, Raman Singh wrote, "This matter is very serious. In 2017, the recognition of the college had ended but now the Chief Minister is ready to provide Rs 125 crore from state funds to give it to the family".
Chief Minister Baghel may find things difficult to deny or handle as his daughter, Divya Baghel, is married to Kshitij Chandrakar, whose father Vijay Chandrakar is the younger brother of Mangal Prasad Chandrakar, the Director of the controversial institute.
T S Singh Deo's walking out from the state assembly has added another twist in the tale.
His supporters and a few Congress legislators had claimed recently that he was promised two and half years as chief minister. However, AICC general secretary P.L. Punia and chief minister Baghel have denied making any such promise.
Lately Singh Deo, who is at present Health Minister and in 2018 was a strong contender for CM post, had claimed there was no death of Covid patient or otherwise in his state due to shortage of Oxygen.
His remarks were completely in contradiction to what Rahul Gandhi had said at the national level.
