Bhupesh Baghel, the chief minister of Chhattisgarh, and TS Singh Deo, the state’s health minister, will meet with Congress leaders in Delhi on Tuesday morning, amid reports of a power struggle between the two leaders over the state’s leadership. PL Punia, the chief of the Chhattisgarh Congress, will be present at the meeting. On June 17, Baghel’s two-year term as chief minister of Chhattisgarh came to an end, and tensions between him and Singh Deo began to rise. There have been rumours that a consensus for the top job has been reached, based on a two-and-a-half-year power-sharing formula between Baghel and Singh Deo.
“After a long time, I am going to Delhi. (Last month) I visited Himachal Pradesh to take part in the funeral of Virbhadra Singh ji as a representative of Sonia Gandhi during which I met Priyanka (returning to Delhi),” Baghel told reporters at Raipur’s Swami Vivekanand airport before taking off for Delhi. “This time the meeting is with Rahul Gandhi. There will also be a meeting with AICC general secretary KC Venugopal and state’s in-charge PL Punia,” Baghel said.
The Chhattisgarh chief minister was also asked whether Singh Deo will also be present during the meeting with Gandhi. “I have information of meeting with Rahul ji only,” he replied to the query.
On his part, Singh Deo, when asked about the meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, said, “You should ask Punia ji (PL Punia), he is the correct person to provide more details.”
On July 27, Singh Deo walked out of the state assembly, revealing deep divisions within the Congress party. He demanded answers from his government in the wake of allegations that one of his relatives was involved in the alleged attack on Congress legislator Brihaspat Singh. Singh claimed that his convoy was attacked on the orders of Singh Deo in Surguja district, which is the assembly constituency of the health minister.
After PL Punia intervened, the issue was resolved, and Singh Deo returned to the assembly after apologising for his remarks against the minister.
The Congress won a landslide victory in the December 2018 assembly elections, and state Congress president Bhupesh Baghel was appointed chief minister. In the 90-member assembly, the Congress has 70 MLAs.
