Raipur, Sept 30: Denying that he was ever involved in caste politics, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi today said that he would contest from the reserved Marwahi constituency in the coming assembly polls. "It is not caste politics. Even Mahatma Gandhi had worked for removing untouchability. Similarly I am working for the development of poor which cannot be called caste politics,” Jogi told reporters here referring to allegations levelled by BJP, NCP and other opposition that he was involved in caste politics.

Jogi said that he will contest from Marwahi reserved constituency from where he made his maiden entry into the state assembly last time.

A case was registered against Jogi by a BJP MP Dalpat Singh Paraste alleging that he had produced a forged scheduled tribe certificate to contest the 1999 Lok Sabha elections from Shahdol reserved constituency in Madhya Pradesh before the state's bifurcation and formation of Chhattisgarh.
Challenging BJP to prove a single case of conversion, Jogi said that the opposition failed to prove anything and was only making a `noise'.

On BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu's challenge to Congress yesterday to fight polls on achievement plank, Jogi said that his party would fight elections on the issue of development.

Reacting to a poll survey which predicted BJP winning 32 and Congress 23 seats in the state, Jogi said, "this implies that they (BJP) have accepted defeat before the polls by saying that they will win 32 out of total 90 seats".

Bureau Report