Chhattisgarh: CM Baghel, Singh Deo meet Rahul

Chhattisgarh Congress leaders, including chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, health mini ste rT.S.SinghDeo and general secretary incharge P.L. Punia met senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday for almost three hours amidst a fragile calm in the state. The Singh Deo camp has been reiterating its demand for change in leadership, while the Baghel camp insists on no leadership change.

After the meeting Mr Baghel said that wideranging discussions were held with Mr Gandhi on the several schemes and projects being implemented in Chhattisgarh, while Mr Singh Deo told reporters, “Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are our leaders and we would abide with whatever they say.”

Mr Punia said that there was no discussion of change in leadership in Chhattisgarh.

“The issue (sharing the chief minister’s post between the incumbent chief minister Mr Baghel and state health minister Mr Singh Deo) did not come up for discussion in the meeting”, Mr Punia said. Insiders claim that Mr Singh Deo has been offered more stake in the running of the state

government. Both Mr Singh Deo and Mr Baghel have met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Mr Gandhi separately to resolve the crisis in the state. Sources claim that backdoor parleys are happening to come to an amicable solution.

Problems started a couple of weeks back when the Singh Deo camp insisted that the chief minister should be replaced as the understanding was that for the first two-and-a-half years Mr Baghel will be the CM while for the remaining period Mr Singh Deo will take over. Insiders claim that the high command is of the view that such an understanding was not in place and the scheme is not feasible. Last month a tribal Congress MLA from Ramanujganj, Brihaspati Singh, had accused Mr Singh Deo of orchestrating an attack on his convoy in Sarguja district. He had alleged that it was done as he had praised the chief minister at a press conference amid speculation of a possible change of guard in the state. He also claimed a threat to his life. Mr Singh Deo had walked out of the Assembly as his government had not cleared his name against the charge that was levelled at him.