Chhattisgarh CM accuses BJP of playing religious card to get votes in UP elections

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday accused the BJP of garnering votes in the name of religion and caste to come to power, and claimed the saffron party was doing the same in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

Talking to reporters at Swami Vivekanand Airport in Raipur before leaving for Uttarakhand, which will also go to polls next month, Baghel accused the central BJP-led government of wanting to take control over states through proposed amendments to the IAS (Cadre) Rules-1954.

Baghel is the Congress's senior observer for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, scheduled to be held in multiple phases over the next two months.

To a query on Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray's comments targeting the BJP on Sunday, Baghel said, "The BJP has indulged in dividing people on religious lines to get elected to power. It did the same thing last time in UP (during 2017 Assembly polls) and is doing the same now. Except this, it does not have any other formula (to woo voters)." "…you (BJP) get votes by scaring people. You garnered votes in the name of religion and caste, but the question is what did the voters get in return? You got the power, but what did the voters get? The BJP talks about Hindus, but what have Hindus achieved? It is the BJP which has gained, not the voters," he alleged. But, the people of Chhattisgarh have rejected them (the BJP), he further said. ''It (the BJP) tried to sow the seed of poison over the issue of communalism and conversion, but it was badly defeated in the recently held civic body elections in the state. The people have understood their (BJP's) tricks and intention. I believe that today the main issues (to be addressed) are inflation, unemployment, farmers, youth and security of women," Baghel added.

Notably, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said he has accepted the challenge thrown by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the Shiv Sena should contest elections on its own, and targeted the BJP over its ''politically-convenient'' Hindutva.

Addressing Shiv Sainiks virtually on the 96th birth anniversary of the party founder and his father Bal Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray said he still believes that 25 years the Sena had spent with the BJP as an ally were ''rotted''.

Meanwhile, asked about Centre's proposed amendments to the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954, Baghel said the move is aimed at taking control over states.

"I have already written a letter to the prime minister opposing the proposed amendments...Many other states have also expressed reservations over it. The BJP wants to have control over the states. While on one hand it has been misusing Raj Bhavan (Governor's house) and on the other, it is trying to take control over IAS officers," Baghel claimed.

"Civil service officers often go on deputation and if anyone wants to go, nobody stops them. But, the state gives consent for it…bringing such amendments is not appropriate for the federal system," he said.

The Centre has proposed an amendment to the IAS Cadre Rules which would enable it to post IAS officers on central deputation bypassing reservations of the state governments. PTI TKP GK GK

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)