Raipur, 17 May. Buoyed by the emphatic Karnataka victory, the Congress top brass is now seriously contemplating to get rid of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel since he along with few of his family members and close aides have come under direct Enforcement Directorate (ED) scanner for scams worth more than two thousand crores during his four year turbulent reign.
Congress General Secretary Incharge of Chhattisgarh affairs Shailaja Kumari’s instantaneous visit and her marathon meeting with the top leaders on Tuesday triggered a wave of speculations about possible change of guard in Chhattisgarh.
Shailaja’s abrupt visit assumes significance given the fact that she had a series of one-on-one meetings with several ministers and other party leaders to assess the grand old party’s poll preparedness. Then what prompted her to rush back to Raipur without prior notice.
Party insiders claimed that the grand old party in general and the Gandhi family in particular has been emboldened by the decisive triumph in Karnataka and are likely to reconsider the decisions which they could not implement in the face of their fading authority a few months ago.
To rein in boisterous Bhupesh Baghel is also one of the unfinished agenda of the Gandhi family. Now with the ED’s continued tightening its noose around Bhupesh Baghel, his family and close aides, the grand old party does not wish to be caught unaware in the event of any punitive action against Baghel.
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Power corridors in capital Raipur have been abuzz with a chorus of ‘Kaka to Gayo’ (Kaka that is Bhupesh is bound to be removed from his position) soon after Shalaja landed here yesterday morning. Enthusiasts even claimed that Shailaja was sent to declare the high command’s desire to the Chief Minister.
The same Congress brass was left red faced in August 2021 when Bhupesh openly defied the Gandhi family’s order to quit. Instead he continued humiliating the first family by parading more than 50 MLAs in his support. Gandhi loyalist cannot forget that open defiance.
Congress top brass appears to be a bundle of worries due to rising signals that ED may further up the ante against Baghel and his close associates, and the party is in no position to lose its plank on corruption which ensured its landslide win in Karnataka, sources claimed. Therefore, it may ask Bhupesh to step aside from the post of CM and pave the way to another leader with a clean image.
Singh Deo who has given up all such hopes could be the dark horse in such a case. PCC President Mohan Markam and Assembly Speaker Charan Das Mahant could also be given a chance to assail the party from troubled waters.
“There was no discussion regarding any change in the party organisation or the government”, Health Minister T S SIngh Deo however, told reporters after emerging from the meeting.
The exuberance in Congress brass in Delhi however, is tellingly visible and the party’s decision to hand over the mantle to veteran Siddharamaiya while ignoring the claims of much younger and energetic DK Shivakumar is ample proof of this buoyancy. Several cases of corruption against Shivkumar prevented Gandhi family to weigh in his favour. Similarly, a trail of massive corruption cases in Chhattisgarh has so far indicated the role of the ‘highest political executive’ of the state
