Chhattisgarh: Months before the State’s Assembly election, Singh Deo appointed as deputy of CM Baghel

In a late evening development that unfolded in Congress headquarters on June 29, senior Congress leader and Health minister of the Chhattisgarh Government, T S Singh Deo, was appointed Chhattisgarh’s Deputy Chief Minister (CM).

The much-awaited announcement for the supporters of Singh Deo happened late evening on June 29 when the general secretary of Indian National Congress (INC), KC Venugopal, issued a letter appointing Singh Deo as the state’s new deputy CM.

In a statement, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said: “INC President Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal for appointment of TS Singh Deo as the Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh.”

“He is a loyal Congress leader and an able administrator. The state will benefit greatly from his services as Deputy CM. We are confident that the people of Chhattisgarh will re-elect the Congress with a thumping majority under the leadership of Kharge ji and Rahul Gandhi ji,” quoted Mr Venugopal.

The Surguja Maharaj was spotted with the CM Bhupesh Baghel at the residence of INC president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi.

Speaking with the media at the Raipur airport, Singh Deo said that “there is no extraordinary responsibility being given as Deputy CM, it is only a designation, maybe it is mentioned in the protocol, rest I have to fulfill the responsibilities of departments slotted to me and the most important thing is that we should fight together.”

Upon asking about the two-and-a-half year-sharing formula of the CM’s seat, Singh Deo said: “that it was not me but the media who coined the post-sharing formula, today the high command has taken a decision if it would have been of two and half years or maybe more in future we have to fulfil the responsibility.”

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Let us tell you that the differences between TS Singh Deo and CM Bhupesh Baghel led to a major embarrassment for the congress party in August 2021 after the supporters of Singh Deo fraction insisted on a power-sharing formula following the completion of a two and half year tenure of the congress Government in the state.

However, despite the rift between the two senior leaders, which led the party to more or less be divided between two fractions, the CongressCongress high command at that time opted to continue with the Bhupesh Baghel leadership in the tribal-dominated state, and it was only when the state’s assembly election is approaching then Singh Deo was made the Deputy CM.

Speaking with the Organiser representative, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and party’s spokesman Kedarnath Gupta said “that the decision of the Congress high command is nothing but a stamp on the raids and arrest made by the ED. You see none of the arrested accused have been given bail by the court. There is nothing going well in the Government and the Congress party in Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, has made the state a hub of corruption and mafiaism.”

“Such is the situation of congress leadership that if they approach one leader then the other gets offended, you see Singh deo has been given a rattle toy for five months whereas he had to be given a two and half years tenure. The departure of this Government is certain,” added Mr Gupta.

It is to be noted that the Chhattisgarh state’s assembly election is scheduled to be held later this year, where the opposition BJP has been aggressively campaigning on a number of alleged scams that surfaced during the tenure of CM Bhupesh Baghel.

Let us tell you that the saffron party in the state has been continuously campaigning against the alleged fraud and nepotism in the state’s PSC examination of 2021, along with a whopping Rs 2000 cr liquor scam that was unearthed by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this year. It is to be noted that the central investigative agency has already arrested as many as five persons, including Anwar Dhebar, brother of senior congress leader and Raipur mayor Aiijaj Dhebar in the alleged multi-crore liquor scam alongside confiscating assets worth Rs 121 cr of the accused.