Chhattisgarh: BJP wooing Congress MLAs with money, ministerial berths

Ahead of the ensuing assembly elections in the five states, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has allegedly started “buying” legislators from the Opposition parties to wrest power and form governments.

According to a purported audio clip doing rounds on the social media, in the poll-bound Chhattisgarh, former state working president and MLA Ramdayal Uike was enticed into the BJP fold with ₹10 crore cash and a ministerial post. Uike had joined BJP in the presence of the party chief Amit Shah and Chief Minister Raman Singh in Bilaspur district headquarter on October 13.

A political turncoat, Uike who had earlier quit the BJP and joined the Congress in 2000, described his return to the ruling party as “ghar wapsi”.

The purported audio clip features interaction between an influential political lobbyist, Kambal Baba—who is said to be doing treatment of State Home Minister Ramsevak Paikra for diabetes, and Lundra Congress MLA Chintamani Maharaj.

In the purported audio, the Baba can be heard luring Chintamani Maharaj, claiming that Uike had also been lured with ₹10 crore cash and was promised a ministerial post as assurance to join the BJP.

Chintamani Maharaj has told the media that the voice in the audio clip is his, claiming that he had been receiving calls on regular basis for the last three days. According to him, he too was offered ₹1.50 crore and a ministerial berth besides a meeting with the Chief Minister, to leave Congress party.

Chhattisgarh Congress, meanwhile, has accused the BJP of turning democracy into a marketplace for sale-purchase of MLAs from the Opposition parties. Demanding a probe, Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhupesh Baghel said that BJP had started such unethical practices in Antagarh bypoll.

“It has come out that Home Minister visits Kambal Baba who had said that he would help BJP form government in the state,” he said, adding that “Now it is in public view as to how the BJP carries out the dealings.”

Bhupesh went on to add, “The BJP president Amit Shah and Chief Minister Raman Singh has turned democracy to a marketplace for the sale and purchase of MLAs and contesting candidates.”

Chief Minister Raman Singh, however, has refuted the allegations, claiming that his party doesn’t have any relation with Kambal-wale Baba.