Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel accuses BJP of ‘roaming with moneybags to poach MLAs’

Image courtesy: ANI

Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying that the party cannot tolerate opposition. Hence, they are around with bags full of money and poach MLAs of the opposition parties. CM Bhagel said this on Thursday on his return to Raipur from Himachal Pradesh.

Interacting with reporters before leaving to attend the Bhent Mulaqat Program in Raigarh District of Chhattisgarh, Baghel alleged that BJP uses various tactics to take away MLAs of other parties and attempts to topple an elected government in states. 

"BJP cannot tolerate the opposition parties, they (BJP) resort to various tactics and use their power and money to scare or buy in the opposition leaders...They have a bag full of money and try to poach the leaders of the opposition parties," he said.

Further Bhagel alleged that the BJP government uses agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department to intimidate or buy legislators as they have done earlier in other states. "They also try to scare leaders in the name of ED and IT departments," he stated.

Meanwhile, alleging that BJP does vote banking in the name of cows and does not work for the people’s interest. The party, said Bhagel, gave out empty promises such as doubling the income of farmers but in reality did not work to serve the people.

He said, "They (BJP) just emotionally exploit people. While PM Modi praises Chhattisgarh’s culture and ethnicity, the BJP party people continue to criticise our government..." Earlier on August 30, amid political uncertainty over reports that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren could be disqualified as an MLA, 31 MLAs and ministers of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand arrived in Chhattisgarh’s capital Raipur.

The legislators went to Raipur in an apparent effort by the Chief Minister to keep his flock together. The ruling coalition in Jharkhand includes JMM, Congress and RJD. Sources said those who went to Raipur include 13 from Congress, four ministers, and 18 MLAs of JMM. They said that ministers belonging to JMM did not go.