In a no-holds-barred attack on the Congress government in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday accused the Bhupesh Baghel-led regime of indulging in multiple scams worth over Rs 1800 crore. Addressing a public meeting in Jagdalpur, in the run-up to the two-phased Assembly elections on November 7 and 17, the BJP heavyweight also underlined what the central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, did for Chhattisgarh in nine years of governance.
“Over the last nine years of our governance at the Centre, we have built new roads in the state, provided cooking gas cylinders at subsidised rates, and constructed toilets and Eklavya schools. It was our government at the Centre, which provided 5kg rice per month for free to every household in the state,” Shah said at the poll rally.
Unleashing a blistering attack on Chief Minister Baghel, the Union Home Minister said, “What did you do Bhupesh babu, other than opening liquor shops, indulging in scams, including the coal transportation scam worth Rs 540 crores, the Gothan scheme scam worth Rs 1300 crores and the Mahadev app scam. Baghel sharm karo, sharm karo (CM Baghel, have some shame).”
He added that the people of Chhattisgarh will ring in the festival of lights, or Diwali, thrice this year, the second of which will happen once the BJP forms the government in the state.
“This time Chhattisgarh will celebrate Diwali thrice — once on the day of Diwali, second on December 3 when the BJP will form the government in the state and then in January (2024), on the opening of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya,” Shah said.
Polling for 20 seats in the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly will be held on November 7 while votes for the remaining 70 seats will be cast in the second phase on November 17.
The counting of votes in Chhattisgarh, along with those in four other poll-bound states, has been scheduled for December 3.
The Model Code of Conduct has already come into effect in Chhattisgarh.
In the last assembly polls in 2018, the Congress recorded a landslide mandate, winning 68 seats of the 90 seats while the BJP finished a distant second at just 15 seats.
