Shah raises Chhattisgarh poll pitch, slams Cong govt
Union home minister Amit Shah released an “aarop patra” (charge sheet) against the chief minister Bhupesh Baghel-led government.
Union home minister Amit Shah intensified the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) poll pitch for Chhattisgarh as he released an “aarop patra” (charge sheet) against the chief minister Bhupesh Baghel-led government, accusing it of indulging in corruption and allowing Left Wing Extremism (LWE) to flourish.
Addressing a rally in Raipur, Shah said the state’s Congress government has broken “all records of corruption”.
“The state was governed by the BJP for 15 years, during which we worked to fulfil Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream of a developed Chhattisgarh. But the Congress, which came to power in 2018, formed a government of loot, corruption, scams, and breaches of promises, due to which development stalled,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the “arop patra” exposed the misgovernance of the Congress government.
“This charge sheet of the public against the present government of Chhattisgarh exposes the plight of the state in every field. The BJP is determined to once again connect the Dalits, tribals, and the underprivileged of this glorious state with the mainstream of development,” he said.
During his speech, Shah alluded to alleged scams related to coal, liquor, and online betting, which central agencies are probing, as he accused Baghel of turning the state “into an ATM” for the Congress brass in Delhi.
“Chhattisgarh has been led astray from the path of development by a government embroiled in corruption, scandals, and favouritism towards the Delhi darbar,” he said.
Baghel has rejected the corruption charges and maintained that the BJP was using the central probe agencies to gain an advantage before the elections.
The senior BJP leader accused the Congress of doing little to protect the rights of the tribals and allowing religious conversion to take place in the state.
“People have to decide whether they want the Baghel government that talks about protecting the rights of tribals even as religious conversions flourish under it, or the BJP government, which protects and preserves the tribal culture,” he added.
Rejecting Shah’s allegations Congress spokesperson RP Singh said, “Union home minister’s accusations are baseless and manipulated. A senior politician should not be speaking like this. It is fact that the Centre has given 61 national awards to Chhattisgarh government for its development works...I think he is just misleading [people].”
At a separate event in Mahasamund district, the Union minister also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who was also in the state on the same day, saying that merely dancing with members of the tribal community does not result in their welfare.
“Rahul Baba, merely dancing with tribal members by visiting tribal-dominated areas will not ensure their welfare. Congress leaders have snatched land from tribals. For years, they [Congress] allowed LWE (Left Wing Extremism) to flourish. Now Modi has worked to put the menace to an end,” he said.