Cong rule in Chhattisgarh based on 'lies and deceit': BJP leader Purandeswari

Accusing the Congress of failing to ''fulfil'' its pre-poll promises in Chhattisgarh, BJP General Secretary D Purandeswari on Wednesday claimed the ruling party had formed its government in the state on a foundation of ''lies and deceit''.

She also targeted chief minister Bhupesh Baghel for claiming that his government has taken several steps for the welfare of farmers, and said around 500 peasants have allegedly committed suicide in the state since the Congress came to power in 2018-end.

She was addressing a press conference at a hotel in Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district, on the sidelines of the BJP's 'chintan shivir' (brainstorming session) that started here on Tuesday.

“We believe the people of Chhattisgarh must have understood by now that the Congress had formed its government on a foundation of lies and deceit. If you look at their manifesto (for 2018 polls), it is clearly evident that the Congress did not fulfil its promises based on which it was elected to power,” Purandeswari said.

“They have ditched every section of the state,'' claimed the BJP general secretary, who is in-charge of Chhattisgarh.

She slammed the Congress CM over the issues related to farmers.

“Bhupesh Baghel ji calls himself the son of a farmer and says farmers are being given Rs 2,500 (per quintal for paddy procurement). But there is another side to it - 500 farmers have committed suicide since his party came to power in the state,'' she said.

Besides, farmers have been facing a shortage of fertilizers and seeds under the Congress rule, she claimed.

The saffron party, that ruled Chhattisgarh for 15 years before being ousted from power by the Congress in 2018, is organising a brainstorming session for the first time in the politically significant and tribal-dominated Bastar region since the formation of the state.

The three-day event is also being seen as an exercise by the party to regain its tribal vote base in the region where it had put up a dismal show in the last assembly elections in 2018.

Purandeswari said strategies and issues to be taken up for the next two-and-a-half years are being discussed at the 'chintan shivir', which will conclude on Thursday.

“Tribals are not a vote bank. The BJP does not only say but also believes that development can take place by taking every section of the society together. We want development of tribals,” she said.

Asked whether three-time chief minister Raman Singh would be the BJP's face in the 2023 assembly polls, she said the party had done a lot of development works when it was in power (from 2003 to 2018 under his leadership) and the same will be highlighted during the elections.

BJP vice-president Raman Singh, who was also present at the conference, took a dig at the Congress over the power tussle between chief minister Baghel and his cabinet colleague TS Singh Deo.

“Chhattisgarh is going through crises. When there is a problem of frequent power cuts and looming threat of a drought , a race for the chair is going on within the ruling Congress.

''When will madam (apparently referring to Congress president Sonia Gandhi) blow whistle and when they will sit on chair? The state is going through uncertainty,” Singh said.

The former CM claimed there is uncertainty in the Congress about who will be the chief minister for the next two-and-a-half years.

“This political drama and circus (in Congress) has added to our concern. We were thinking that we will stage protests targeting Bhupesh Baghel, but now we are thinking whom we will target? There is uncertainty within the Congress about who will be the chief minister for the next 2.5 years,” he added.