As Chhattisgarh is all set to vote for Assembly polls on November 7 and 17, Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader T.S. Singh Deo spoke exclusively with NewsX and unravelled the poll chemistry of the Naxal-affected state and how his party will perform. Excerpts:
Q: There have been allegations against you that many people close to you got tickets for the upcoming polls in the state. What do you have to say on such allegations?
A: This is entirely baseless as the distribution of tickets has been done on the basis of an internal survey conducted by the party. Those who do not get tickets, indulge in this sort of propaganda and personally, I feel that this is against the spirit of democracy and party. The party comes first and then candidates.
Q: What about rumours of groupism in your party?
A: Almost every party is affected by this syndrome and in democracy, it cannot be avoided. Whether it is your family, your work place, political parties, it applies everywhere. The concept of groupism is a mental blame game and nothing else. Personally, I do not believe in groupism and it never succeeds.
Q: Congress says it has done lots of developmental work in the state, the BJP denies this and accuses the state government of indulging in massive corruption at all levels. What do you want to say about this?
A: It is natural for any Opposition party to trade charges against the ruling dispensation and the BJP is not alone. The allegation of Opposition parties does not shape the destiny of the ruling alliance. Congress has jumped into the electoral fight based on its overall performance and so, there remains no question of corruption in the last five years. I advise people to vote on the basis of the performance of the government and not on the propaganda spread by the Opposition.
