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Tag: Bhupesh Baghel

  • Chhattisgarh CM slams Modi government over note ban, GST rollout and export of COVID-19 vaccines

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday criticised the Narendra Modi government over its policies, including demonetisation, introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) and export of country-made anti-coronavirus vaccine doses amid the pandemic.

    He hit out at the central government after Union Home Minister Amit Shah earlier in the day described PM Modi as the most successful administrator of the country after independence.

    Talking to reporters at Raipur airport after returning from Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh tour, Baghel said paddy procurement for the ongoing kharif crop season in the state would start from December 1.

    When asked about Shah’s statement hailing Modi, the chief minister said, “Whatever Amit Shah ji has said, it could be his assessment. But when history will be reviewed, (you) will see when Modi implemented demonetisation what was its impact on the country and economy. What was the impact on the economy when the GST (Goods and Service Tax) was introduced. When vaccines were being manufactured in the country and being exported, there was a continuous rise in corona cases. People will review it.”

    “I think that Modi ji’s name will be recorded as the most unsuccessful and jumlebaaz (one who indulges in rhetoric) prime minister (in the history),” he added.

    When asked about the paddy procurement drive in the state, Baghel said, “It would start from December 1. Early November, who will come to sell paddy during Diwali? Will people will celebrate the festival or will they come to sell their paddy.

    Even paddy harvesting has not been intensified” Those farmers who had water facilities (for irrigation) have started harvesting their crops, but it is not underway at a large scale across the state.” He also said the state government will disburse the third instalment of Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana (for the previous kharif season) on November 1, so there will be no shortage of money to farmers.

  • Amid Sidhu-Tewari war of words, Congress’ infighting breaks out again in Chattisgarh

    By Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI:  Amid the war of words between Congress leaders and Amarinder Singh over his friendship with a Pakistan-based journalist, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu asserted that Punjab must come back to its real issues which concern people.

    Earlier, Congress MP Manish Tewari said chaos and anarchy was playing out in the state unit and that the people are disgusted by the daily soap opera. In a series of tweet, Sidhu said he would stick to the real issues and not let them take a backseat.

    Expressing dismay over the “guttural language” used against each other that “even fishwives would not use”, Tewari asked whether the party thought the people were not disgusted by the “daily soap opera”.

    Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa had said a probe would be conducted to ascertain whether Alam has links with Pakistan’s spy agency ISI, prompting Amarinder Singh to accuse Randhawa of resorting to personal attacks.

    “The choice is clear between irreparable damage and the last chance for damage control. Who will bring back state’s resources to the state’s coffers, instead of them going to private pockets ??’’ 

    Hitting out at former state in-charge Harish Rawat, Tewari, who is a member of G23 leaders, said: “I have never seen such chaos and anarchy as what is playing out in Punjab Congress. Repeated open defiance of AICC by a PCC President, colleagues squabbling publicly with each other like children. Guttural language against each other that even fish wives would not use.”

    “Since you (Rawat) referred to me in this interview I also have great regard and respect for you going back to days when I headed the National Students’ Union of India and you the Congress Sevadal. However, in my 40 years plus in the Congress I have never seen such chaos and anarchy as what is playing out in INC Punjab today,” he said on Twitter.

    For the past five months, he said, it was Punjab Congress versus Congress.

    “Do we think that people of Punjab are not disgusted by this daily soap opera? Irony is that those who complained loudest of transgressions and aberrations were unfortunately and continue to be worst offenders themselves.” 

    Slamming the Kharge panel, Tewari asked, “History would record that the appointment of the Committee that ostensibly heard perceived and real grievances was a serious error of judgement. Where is progress on issues that agitated these MLAs?”

    Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu slammed Amarinder Singh on Saturday alleging that not a single posting of any official took place in the state without “money or gifts” to Aroosa Alam.

    In a series of tweets on Sunday, Tewari questioned the progress on issues like the 2015 sacrilege incidents, drug menace and power purchase pacts.

    The Congress on Friday appointed Rajasthan Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary as the Congress’ new in-charge for party affairs in the poll-bound Punjab, relieving Harish Rawat on his request.

    Rawat, a former chief minister, is spearheading the Congress’ bid to regain power in Uttarakhand by ousting the BJP.

    “Repeated open defiance of AICC by a PCC president, colleagues squabbling publicly with each other like children. Guttural language against each other that even fishwives would not use. For the past five months, it is INC Punjab vs INC Punjab. Do we think that people of Punjab are not disgusted by this daily soap opera?,” tweeted Tewari.

    He also termed the Mallikarjun Kharge-led three-member panel formed by the Congress earlier to end factionalism in its Punjab unit as “a serious error of judgement”.

    “Irony is that those who complained loudest of transgressions and aberrations were unfortunately and continue to be worst offenders themselves. History would record that the appointment of the committee that ostensibly heard perceived and real grievances was a serious error of judgement.

    “Where is progress on the issues that agitated these MLAs and other eminences — bargari, drugs, power PPAs, illegal sand mining. Has there been any movement forward?” tweeted Tewari.

    Rawat played a key role in bringing in Sidhu as the Punjab Congress chief despite strong opposition from then chief minister Amarinder Singh, who subsequently resigned alleging humiliation by the party.

    Rawat’s role was also crucial in Amarinder Singh being replaced by Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister of Punjab.

    But later, Sidhu resigned as the Punjab Congress chief while raising a question over the appointments of the state police chief and state advocate general.

    On October 15, Sidhu said that said his concerns had been resolved and the Congress asserted he would continue as the head of the Punjab unit.

    Meanwhile, differences within Chhattisgarh Congress spilled out in the open again on Sunday when a party leader, considered as a supporter of state Health Minister TS Singh Deo, was allegedly stopped and heckled while he was delivering a speech during a convention of party workers in Jashpur district.

    AICC’s secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh Saptagiri Ulaka was also present at the event.

    A video of the purported incident shows former Jashpur district Congress president Pawan Agrawal addressing the function from the stage.

    Suddenly another leader, Iftikhar Hasan, is seen trying to snatch a mike from Agrawal and pushing him away.

    The convention was held in a community hall in Jashpur town, located around 400 km away from Raipur.

    Agrawal said he was allegedly heckled and manhandled by Hasan and others when he questioned the delay in elevating TS Singh Deo as chief minister as per the purported power-sharing agreement during his speech.

    “As a Jashpur Congress president from 2013 till 2018 end, I worked extensively for the party in the district. In the 2018 assembly elections, Congress snatched all three seats- Pathalgaon, Jashpur and Kunkuri from the district from BJP. After the assembly elections, I was removed from the post of district president despite my efforts for the party’s victory,” Agrawal told PTI over the phone.

    He claimed the agreement of rotational chief ministership was made when Congress came to power in 2018.

    “After the completion of half of the five-year term of (incumbent chief minister) Bhupesh Baghel, why there is a delay in replacing him with Singh Deo ji? I was raising the same issue in front of Ulaka ji. But supporters of Baghel attacked me on the stage,” he said.

    Kunkuri MLA UD Minj, Jashpur MLA Vinay Kumar Bhagat, Jashpur district Congress president Manoj Sagar Yadav was also present on the stage, he said.

    Meanwhile, Hasan refuted Agrawal’s claim.

    The Chhattisgarh BJP also shared the video clip on Twitter with a post saying the incident reflects the culture of the Congress party.

    “There was a fight on the stage during the Congress event. Congress culture was seen. In the race for the chair in @INCChhattisgarh, now there is a fight too! When the leader reminded Rahul Gandhi of the promise of a two and a half years formula, he was assaulted in front of the in-charge,” the state BJP tweeted.

    The tussle for power between Baghel and Singh Deo appears to have quietened at the top, but the feud is very much visible at the lower level in the ruling Congress.

    Last month, a local unit of the Congress in Bilaspur had demanded the expulsion of a party MLA after he protested against the registration of a police case against another local leader, a supporter of Singh Deo.

    The demand for a change of guard was renewed after Baghel completed two-and-a-half years as chief minister in June 2021.

    The Singh Deo camp claimed the high command in 2018 had agreed to hand over the post to him after the government completed half its term.

    It appeared that Baghel had won that round when he told reporters upon return that party leader Rahul Gandhi had agreed to visit the state ‘on his invitation’, and those talking about rotating the CM’s post were promoting political instability.

    However, Singh Deo had said the decision on the leadership change lies with the party high command.

    Several Congress MLAs, considered close to Baghel, had visited Delhi multiple times in the past two months apparently to express solidarity to the CM.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Need to refute rumours being spread on social media: Chhattisgarh CM tells collectors

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday said along with continuous monitoring of the law and order situation, it was necessary for the administration to strongly refute rumours and false propaganda being spread on social media. The CM was addressing a conference of collectors in the state capital Raipur.

    The responsibility of law and order rests with the district collectors and they should act as team leaders, he said.

    The administration has worked very effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CM said, adding that due to innovative projects undertaken in the state, the “Chhattisgarh model” was now being discussed all over the country.

    “Along with continuous monitoring of the law and order situation, it is necessary to strongly refute rumours and false propaganda spreading through social media,” Baghel said.

    He said before the weekly review meeting, collectors should take stock of the law and order situation with superintendent of police and other officials concerned in their respective districts.

    The situation of the previous week should be reviewed and action plan be drafted based on the existing situation, the CM said.

    He said the revenue department’s work was directly connected to farmers and common citizens and the district administrations should give top priority to it.

    State Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey, Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain, Director General of Police D M Awasthi and other officials attended the meet.

  • Medicines are to be half price under this Chhattisgarh scheme. Find out more

    By Express News Service

    RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday launched ‘Shri Dhanwantri Medical Store Scheme’, a scheme to provide quality generic medicines to the common man at 50-70% lesser than the MRP.

    Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel inaugurated 84 medical stores under the scheme virtually from his residence.

    “Healthcare expenses are increasing in India. Many households face medical debt and the brunt of inflation. The quality medicines at affordable prices would now be available for all in the state”, said the CM. He appealed to the health professionals and the pharmacist to make the generic medicines known among the masses.  

    ALSO READ | Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel is best performing CM: Governance index

    The scheme operated by the Urban Administration and Development department will soon be expanded with 188 such medical stores facilities in 169 cities and towns across the state in the near future.

    Each of these medical stores will mandatorily keep 251 varieties of genetic medicines and 27 surgical products besides the Sanjeevani herbal products of the forest department, cosmetics, and baby food items.

    “The high-quality generic medicines from around 20 reputed companies such Cipla, Alembic, Ranbaxy, Camila, Pfizer among others would be available in these medical stores. In the next phase the home delivery of medicines too will commence”, a government spokesperson said.

    The medical shops will be allocated by the urban municipal bodies on a rent to be charged at Rs 2 per square foot.

    To achieve the goal of universal health coverage and ensure better health services, the state government is running Mukhyamantri Haat Bazar Clinic Yojana in remote tribal-dominated areas, Mukhyamantri Shahri Slum Health Scheme across urban areas, besides the Dai-Didi Clinic scheme for women and adolescent girls.

  • Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel is best performing CM: Governance index

    By Express News Service

    RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is the best performing Chief Minister in the country, as per the CVoter governance index.

    The chief minister has received the highest popularity rating among CMs of states. The index report attributed Baghel’s popularity to a number of welfare schemes introduced by the state government. 

    Recent schemes such as Mahatari Dular Yojana under which the government will be providing free education to children studying in private schools, who lost their guardian/parents to Covid-19, were appreciated by all. The government will bear the entire expenses of their education.

    The report says that the chief minister is popular among the masses because of his decision-making ability and CEO style working. 

    In Chhattisgarh, 94% of the people are happy with the chief minister’s performance.

  • Narayanpur SP ‘assaults’ driver over ‘unclean’ car; officer moved out after CM Bhupesh Baghel rap

    By PTI

    NARAYANPUR: The driver of Narayanpur district Superintendent of Police in Chhattisgarh on Monday accused the officer of thrashing him for not keeping the official car clean, prompting the state government to immediately transfer the SP who was rebuked by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel for his alleged action.

    However, the Narayanpur Superintendent of Police (SP), U Uday Kiran, denied the charge of assault and claimed he had just “reprimanded” the driver, a tribal.

    The alleged incident took place in the morning following which Jailal Netam, a police constable posted as driver of the Narayanpur SP, was shifted to district hospital here.

    After the incident, Baghel ordered the police officer’s removal.

    As per an order issued by the Home department late in the evening, Kiran has been transferred to Police Headquarters, Raipur, as Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP).

    Superintendent of Police (CM Security) Girija Shankar Jaiswal, a 2010-batch IPS officer, has been appointed the new SP of Narayanpur, it said.

    “Police officers are expected to deal strictly with criminals. It is not excusable to beat up a subordinate employee…Instructions have been issued to remove Narayanpur’s superintendent of police for his behaviour,” the CM tweeted.

    Earlier in the day, Netam told reporters in the hospital that he was assaulted by the SP for not properly cleaning the official vehicle, a car.

    A doctor of the hospital said, “Prima facie there was no external internal injury on Netam’s body and he is under observation. His condition is stable.”

    Members of the Sarva Adivasi Samaj (SAS), an umbrella body of tribal communities, met Netam at the hospital and assured him of support and help in ensuring justice, said Sonu Korram, chief of Narayanpur district unit of the organization.

    The SAS has handed over a memorandum, addressed to the Governor and the Chief Minister, to the Narayanpur Collector seeking action against the SP, he said.

    Besides, we have also submitted a complaint at the Ajak police station (meant to address grievances of SC/ST members) here seeking an FIR under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (prevention of atrocities) Act against the police officer, Korram said.

    “The Adivasi samaj has given a memorandum mainly over three points, including the alleged incident of assault on the driver. Further action will be taken after investigation into all these issues,” Collector Dharmesh Sahu told mediapersons.

    The constable, in a letter to the Chhattisgarh Anusuchit Janjajti Shaskiya Sevak Sangh, a body of government employees belonging to ST communities, claimed the SP abused and thrashed him so hard that he was unable to even walk and had to be admitted in the hospital.

    He requested the outfit to take cognizance of the incident so that he could get justice.

    Kiran, a 2015-batch IPS officer, dubbed the allegations as “baseless”.

    The officer claimed he had just “reprimanded” Netam for allegedly committing negligence in discharging his duty.

  • Chhattisgarh industries want ‘first right’ over coal

    Express News Service

    RAIPUR: Amid reports of power plants facing coal shortage, Chhattisgarh-based industries, including those engaged in making aluminium and steel, have asserted that citizens living in the state have the “first right over its coal and power”. 

    Seeking the intervention of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, associations of the industries stated that they flocked to the states which had huge deposits of natural resources, and Chhattisgarh had nearly 18 per cent of the nation’s coal reserves. The states often promised the abundant availability of resources to attract industries and investments, hence it was the responsibility of the state governments to ensure them, they said. 

    Owing to such massive coal reserve, the state has over 250 various industrial units with captive power plants having 4,000 MW capacity. Chhattisgarh’s major industries reiterated that they were receiving insufficient supply of coal from the mines in the state. “Irrespective of the control of minerals by the Centre or the states, there has to be a balance in its distribution. Why should the coal produced in the state be sent outside while the industries here continue to struggle,” said Pradeep Tandon, chairman of the state council of the Federation of Indian chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI). 

  • Drug smuggling: Coordinate with Odisha to end menace, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel tells cops

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday directed police officials of the state to hold a high level meeting with their counterparts in Odisha to check the smuggling of ganja through inter-state borders, an official said.

    The directive was issued two days after an SUV, allegedly transporting ganja from Odisha to Madhya Pradesh, sped through a religious procession in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh, killing one person and injuring 17.

    “The chief minister has directed senior police officials to hold a high level joint meeting with Odisha police to prevent ganja smuggling from the neighbouring state (into Chhattisgarh)”, a statement issued by the state’s public relations department said.

    He has directed that a strong action plan be drafted to prevent ganja smuggling and ensure 24-hour monitoring at checkposts on the state’s borders by installing CCTV cameras, the release added.

    “Collectors and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of those districts which share a border with Odisha have been asked to set up permanent infrastructure and check posts in for the purpose. The Director General of Police and Additional DGP (Anti-Naxal Operations) have been told to take immediate action in this regard by coordinating with the neighbouring state’s police,” the release informed.

  • Chhattisgarh CM likens RSS to Naxals; says local Sangh workers being controlled from Nagpur 

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: Equating the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with Naxals, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday said the way the outlaws active in his state were being dictated by their senior cadres sitting in other states, the local RSS workers were being controlled from Nagpur.

    The RSS headquarters is located in Nagpur city of neighbouring Maharashtra.

    Hitting back at Baghel, the BJP described his statement as “language of extremists”, and said Congress has deviated from the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi.

    Talking to reporters at the helipad here, Baghel also slammed the Centre over its claim that there was no shortage of coal in the country, and added that it has failed to handle the issue.

    “There will be an impartial investigation (into last week’s Kawardha violence)…In Chhattisgarh, no work of RSS people got done during 15 years (of the BJP rule from 2003 to 2018) and they continued to work as bonded labourers,” Baghel said.

    “Even now, they (RSS workers in the state) are not heard as everything is being controlled from Nagpur.

    Like the Naxal leaders are in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other states and their cadres (in Chhattisgarh) do the job of firing bullets and getting hit. The same is the situation in the RSS. The local RSS workers have no value…Everything is centred in Nagpur,” he added.

    He was replying to a query on Governor Anusuiya Uikey’s letter to the state government for an impartial enquiry into the violence occurred on October 5 in Kawardha, the headquarter of Kabirdham district, during a rally taken out by right wing outfits.

    Stepping up his attack on the opposition BJP and the RSS, the CM said, “They are left with no issues to raise.

    They have nothing to say over farmers, tribals, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and businesses and hence they have resorted to only two issues – conversion and communalism, in which they have mastery.”

    “They make people fight. The business establishments which were shut due to the coronavirus crisis for a long time are now gradually opening up and they are trying to ruin it by instigating riots. It will not be allowed. We have to keep an eye on their attempts to give communal colour to fights over petty issues,” he added.

    The ruling Congress has blamed the BJP for the violence in Kawardha.

    BJP MP Santosh Pandey and former parliamentarian Abhishek Singh were among some party leaders who were named in an FIR lodged in connection with the violence.

    Slamming the Centre over its claims of no shortage of coal in the country, he said, “The government of India had said there is no crisis of coal and power generation in the country, but dozens of power plants are shut in the country.

    If there is no lack of coal in the country, why has the coal minister reached Chhattisgarh?” The Centre should admit that there is a shortage of coal, he said.

    “Don’t know what this Indian government is doing. There was a lack of oxygen (referring to the situation during the second wave of COVID-19), shortage of fertilizers and now lack of coal.

    The Centre has failed to handle these things. These small arrangements needed to be regularized only and kept in continuity. The Centre is not able to do just this. What will be more unfortunate than this,” he added.

    Union Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi arrived in the state on Wednesday to visit mines of South Eastern Coalfields Limited in Korba district.

    Reacting to the chief minister’s statement about the RSS, senior BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik said, “The way CM has compared Sangh and Naxalism, in reality these are not Bhupesh Baghel’s words, but are of his Leftist ideology.

    The Congress has lost its core ideology and deviated from the Gandhian ideology.

    ” Citing the ongoing turmoil within the ruling Congress in the state, he said, “The party has been battling infighting in the entire country. It is shrinking. Punjab and Rajasthan are in front of you. The root cause of its infighting in Chhattisgarh is because it has left its core ideology and is getting influenced by the Left.

    I advise Baghel that if he wants to speak about the Sangh, then he should read about it. One should see the work of the Sangh by going to the Sangh’s place…”

    The way such language of extremists is being spoken, the decline of Congress is definite, Kaushik alleged.

  • Savarkar was first to suggest ‘two-nation theory’: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel

    By ANI

    RAIPUR: Taking a dig on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh over his comment that “Savarkar wrote mercy petitions to the British government on Mahatma Gandhi’s request”, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday said that it was Savarkar who first suggested the “two-nation theory”.

    Baghel, while speaking to the media persons here, said: “Mahatma Gandhi was confined in the Wardha jail and Savarkar at the Cellular jail. How would they have communicated? He filed mercy petitions from jail several times.”

    “Savarkar continued to be on the side of the Britishers at that time and helped them in their divide and rule policy. He was the first one to suggest the two-nation theory after coming out of jail in 1925,” he added.

    Earlier on Tuesday, the Defence Minister had stated that it was on Mahatma Gandhi’s request that Savarkar wrote mercy petitions to the British. He was speaking at the launch of the book ‘Veer Savarkar: The Man Who Could Have Prevented Partition’.

    “Lies were spread about Savarkar. Time and again, it was said that he filed mercy petitions before the British government seeking his release from jail. It was Mahatma Gandhi who asked him to file mercy petitions,” Singh said at the event.