Hours after FIR slapped against senior non-Congress leaders in Antagarh tape case, former chief minister Ajit Jogi hit out at Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday and alleged state government has been misusing administrative and police machinery to throttle democracy.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is acting ‘autocratically’ like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he could be termed as ‘Modi of Chhattisgarh’, Jogi alleged. He added that Baghel has been settling political vendetta with his opponents.
Jogi also reminded the declaration made by Baghel prior to assembly elections that he would set up an enquiry to be headed by sitting judge of High Court to probe into Antagarh case if Congress returned to power.
Countering the allegations, Baghel drew similarity between Modi and Jogi. While hitting back at Jogi, Baghel said, Rs Rs Pronunciation of both the names (Modi, Jogi) are alike as well as there is another similarity that both of them have Amit who had been jailed previously,’’. Baghel was basically referring to BJP chief Amit Shah and Jogi’s son Amit Jogi.
Notably, former Mayor, Raipur and Congress spokesperson Kiranmayi Nayak filed an FIR against Ajit Jogi and his lone son Amit Jogi along with BJP leader and former Chhattisgarh Minister Rajesh Munat, former CM Raman Singh’s son-in-law Punit Gupta and Manturam Pawar late night on Sunday.
The Antagarh audio tape contained several phone conversations purportedly between Ajit Jogi, Amit Jogi Puneet Gupta, Congress candidate Manturam Pawar and former Jogi loyalists Firoz Siddiqui and Ameen Memon, to “fix” the Antagarh by-poll held in 2014.
The leaked tape which has conversations suggesting exchange of money to make Pawar, Congress candidate for the seat, withdraw from the Antagarh bypoll contest at the last minute to facilitate the BJP nominee’s victory.