Ahead of the upcoming election in Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was quizzed by journalist Saurabh Dwivedi on various issues pertaining to the development of the State.
The 1.5-hour-long interview for the ‘Jamghat’ show was published on the YouTube channel of Lallantop on Sunday (5th November).
At the very onset, Baghel was asked about the non-implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAJ) in Chhattisgarh and the non-release of funds by the State for the housing project.
On being asked about the stalling of construction of 8 lakh houses for the poor, the Chhattisgarh CM claimed, “There is no such issue…7.5 lakh people had already received houses. He instead blamed the Union government for not conducting Census and Economic Survey in 2021.
Baghel alleged that the State government had to do the survey and found that only 47000 people did not have houses. “We immediately sanctioned the money,” he claimed.
On being pointed out by Saurabh Dwivedi about the letter by Union Steel Ministry Secretary Nagendra Nath Sinha, alleging non-sanction of ₹562 crores for building 7.8 lakhs houses in Chhatisgarh in 2021-2022, Baghel conceded that the State had other priorities (as it was the time of the Covid-19 pandemic).
Bhupesh Baghel on agriculture and State debt
Saurah Dwivedi asked the Chhatisgarh CM about the tussle between his government and the Union on issues relating to agriculture and the farm sector.
Bhupesh Baghel credited Manmohan Singh and the UPA government for giving bonuses to farmers on two occasions. He then presented himself as a pro-farmer for providing subsidies while essentially increasing the State’s debt.
The Congress leader accused PM Narendra Modi of lying about the procurement of grains from the State at Minimum Support Price (MSP). On being asked about the State’s decision to take loans mindlessly, he alleged that the nation’s debt under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tripled.
Baghel went on to claim that the loans taken by the Chhatisgarh government was 16% of its GDP and the interest repayment was 6%, which is supposedly less than the threshold set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). “How can the Centre accuse us when it is taking loans itself?” he deflected the issue.
Allegations of withholding of caste data
In December last year, the Congress government in Chhatisgarh passed two bills which increased reservation in jobs and educational institutions in the State to a whopping 76%.
According to journalist Saurabh Dwivedi, the quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) was enhanced from 14% to 27%. He pointed out that a committee was formed under a retired Judge to estimate the caste breakdown in the OBC population but the results were not presented in the Vidhan Sabha.
On being asked about the specific question on why the ‘quantifiable data’ was not made public, the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister dodged the question initially. He went on to claim that the State’s Governor has no right to demand that the government present it in Vidhan Sabha.
“The Governor can give his assent if he likes the bill or send it back. That’s about it,” Bhupesh Baghel was heard saying. He then went on to blame the Centre for not publicising the caste census undertaken in 2011 while conveniently omitting the fact that the Congress was at the Centre until 2014 and that it had 3 years to make the data public.
Bhupesh Baghel on accusations of ‘compensation partiality’
Journalist Saurabh Dwivedi pointed out two cases of murder in Chhatisgarh, one belonging to the ‘Sahu’ caste and another a Muslim. He said that compensation was only provided for the OBC victim but not a poor ‘goat herder’ who belonged to the Muslim community.
Baghel justified the decision to deny compensation to the Muslim victim, claiming that members of his community did not come to seek compensation. “Representatives from the Sahu community came to me and asked for job and compensation. We gave it to them. None came from the other community.”
Charges of corruption against bureaucrats
The Lallantop‘s Founding Editor highlighted allegations of favouritism in the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) examination after relatives of two bureaucrats were selected in the competitive exam.
A defensive Bhupesh Baghel claimed, “Not every relative of officials who sat for the exams cleared the exams…Why should I answer this question? No relative of any Minister has been selected for CGPSC. Can’t relatives of bureaucrats write exams now?”
On being pointed out that he was the CM of the State, he said that there was no law that could bar children and relatives of bureaucrats from writing CGPSC. “Ban their participation if you want…Na rehegi baas, na bajegi bansuri,” Baghel remarked.
Delay in roll out of government schemes
The Chhatisgarh Chief Minister was also grilled for the delay in the rollout of the Chhattisgarh Unemployment Allowance Scheme. “It was there in the Congress manifesto in 2018 but was implemented 4 years later. On top of that, several restrictions have been imposed. The youth is dismayed,” Saurabh Dwivedi said.
Bhupesh Baghel came up with a bizarre defence and said that things mentioned in the manifesto are not supposed to implemented immediately. “We were elected for a 5-year period. It does not mean all schemes will be laid out in the first year itself.”
“We can only do such things once money is available,” he added. Under the scheme, a sum of ₹2500/- is paid to eligible unemployed youth in Chhatisgarh.
Lack of transparency and shady connections
Bhupesh Baghel was asked about the decision of the State government to make auction bids for coal mines offline. Journalist Saurabh Dwivedi highlighted several scams in the State, starting from liquor scheme, ED chargesheet and arrests of people close to the Chhatisgarh CM.
In August this year, several teams of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at around 10 locations in Chhattisgarh. The locations raided by the central agency include the premises of state Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s political advisor Vinod Verma and an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) among other officials.
In July 2023, the ED conducted raids against several bureaucrats including IAS officer Ranu Sahu, and Chhattisgarh Congress leader Ramgopal Agarwal who is also the PCC treasurer. These raids were part of a money laundering probe.
Saumya Chaurasia, the deputy secretary to the Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel was arrested by the ED in December last year for being involved in an illegal mining case involving over Rs 150 crore.
Chaurasia is a Chhattisgarh Administrative Service (CAS) public official who joined the CM’s office when Baghel established the state government in 2018. She was under the surveillance of central authorities, and locations associated with her, including others, were also raided by the Income Tax (IT) department.
Notably, the ED has been investigating several cases in Chhattisgarh. These include an alleged coal scam case, a liquor scam case, a probe regarding irregularities in the District Mineral Foundation fund, and an online betting application case.
As such, the Chhatisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, in his interview with Lallantop, dubbed the actions of the ED as ‘selective.’
