Chhattisgarh polls: Amit Shah labels Baghel 'prepaid CM' over 'scams'

Union Home Minister Amit Shah alleged that CM Baghel turned the entire state into a collection centre and an ATM for the Congress.

Lashing out at the Congress government in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday called Bhupesh Baghel a 'prepaid CM'.

Addressing a public meeting in the state ahead of the second phase of the Assembly elections on November 17, Friday, the Union Home Minister said, "The Congress has a prepaid CM in Chhattisgarh. He works only in accordance with the amount paid in bribes to him. He doesn't work unless bribed to do so."

Shah alleged that CM Baghel turned the entire state into a collection centre and an ATM for the Congress.

Accusing the CM of indulging in a number of scams in Chhattisgarh, he said the legacies that he will leave behind for the people are the Rs 6,600 crore PDS scam, the Rs 5000 crore Mahadev betting app scam, the public service commission scam, and the district mineral fund scam of Rs 700 crore, among others.

"I have heard of a lot of scams in my life but I never heard about one involving cow dung. But Bhupesh Baghel indulged in a cow dung scam as well," Shah added.

The Union Home Minister warned that all those, who are involved in scams and are corrupt, will be "hung upside-down" if the BJP is elected.

Further, lashing out at the CM, the Union Home Minister said, "Bhupesh Kaka had promised to impose a ban on the consumption of liquor in the state but did he deliver on the promise? Instead, his government indulged in the Rs 5,000-crore excise scam," Shah added.

The Home Minister announced that the BJP, if voted, would provide all women with cooking gas at Rs 500 per cylinder for 5 years.

"We have also decided that all married women will be provided with cheques of Rs 12,000 each every year by the BJP," Shah added.

"Bhupesh Kakka has also promised similar schemes but can a leader, who can't guarantee his own future as CM, deliver on such promises?" the BJP heavyweight added.

He also hit out at the CM over his alleged involvement in the Mahadev betting app scam.

The Union Home Minister also lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for naming the landing point of the ISRO spacecraft on the moon's south face as the 'Shiv-Shakti' point, adding that it demonstrated his 'respect' for Mahadev, another name for Lord Shiva.

The first phase of assembly elections for the 20 legislative assembly seats in Chhattisgarh was conducted on November 7.

The remaining 70 seats in the state will go to polls in the second phase on November 17.

The counting of votes for Chhattisgarh, along with four other poll-bound states, is scheduled for December 3.