Page 13 - Bhupesh Baghel

Chhattisgarh CM questions presence of Sengol in Parliament inauguration

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the 'Sengol' was a symbol of transfer of power from the British and questioned its presence in the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by asking what kind of transfer of power took place on Sunday. The PM inaugurated the new Parliament building on Sunday morning and installed the historic Sengol, a Chola-era spectre made of silver with a coat of gold, in the Lok Sabha chamber. Speaking to reporters after returning from Delhi, Baghel said, "Today, national media is full of news about the transfer of power from the British and Sengol. At the time (1947), the British were leaving and transfer of power was happening. What kind of transfer of power has happened today? Is it the transfer from democracy to autocracy?" An organisation, an apparent reference to BJP-RSS, that had opposed Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for so long was now using him name to save themselves, he claimed, adding if there could be a mo

BJP seeks votes in name of cows, visiting gauthans: Chhattisgarh CM

Raising a question mark on the timing of BJP leaders' visit to gauthans, CM Baghel said that during summer cattle do not stay in gauthans and this is not the tradition of Chhattisgarh

BJP seeks votes in name of cows, but has never served them: Chhattisgarh CM

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) only seeks votes in the name of cows, but has never served them. Speaking at 'Bharose ka Sammelan' programme in his constituency Patan in Durg district, the chief minister slammed the BJP's claims about the absence of cows at "gauthans" (cow shelters) in the state. "BJP leaders and workers have been visiting 'gauthans' and claiming that there are no cattle at these shelters. People of Chhattisgarh know that in summers cattle are left to graze outside in the afternoons and only brought back in the evenings," Baghel said. "You (the BJP) ask for votes in the name of cows, but have never served them. You do not know Chhattisgarh. We know when garwa' (cattle) is at a khar (a place for cattle resting and grazing) or gauthan, he said. Meanwhile, the chief minister transferred Rs 2,800 crore in bank accounts of beneficiaries of various government schemes. A total of Rs 111 crore was transfer

Chhattisgarh money laundering case: SC pulls ED, says don't create fear

From pulling up ED in Chhattisgarh money laundering case to questioning the source of power of Delhi-LG while nominating 10 aldermen, here are the important cases of the day

Fourth airport upgrade, ready for commercial flights in Chhattisgarh

Ambikapur airport is one of the oldest in the country. It was built in 1950 after independence. Indira Gandhi as Prime Minister landed in the airstrip in 1974

Chhattisgarh CM Baghel approves increase in post of ITI training officers

Eligible candidates from Chhattisgarh will be considered for recruitment. The decision was taken by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel

You can see with whom Bajrang Bali stands: Baghel after Cong wins in K'taka

The exit polls predicted a hung assembly with some showing Congress returning to power with a majority. A few exit polls also showed BJP ahead

BJP demands Chhattisgarh CM Baghel's resignation in Rs 2,000 cr liquor scam

The BJP on Friday demanded Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's resignation over an alleged Rs 2,000-crore liquor scam in the state, claiming corruption at such a big scale for more than four years was not possible without links to his government. BJP spokesperson K K Sharma also took a swipe at Baghel for his claim that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the central agency probing the case, was trying to implicate him in the matter, asking if this was a "confession" from him about his role or merely an expression of his suspicion. Noting that Anwar Dhebar, who has been arrested in the case and is the elder brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, is a private person and holds no position in the government, Sharma said he used to hold meetings with liquor dealers and government officials. The liquor industry in the state is run by the government, from procurement to retail, but it was Anwar Dhebar who "captured" the public body tasked with running the busines

Chhattisgarh liquor scam case: ED should arrest CM Baghel, says AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party has demanded that the Enforcement Directorate arrest Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and probe his role in the alleged liquor scam in the state. The federal agency on Saturday arrested liquor businessman Anwar Dhebar, the brother of Congress leader and Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, in connection with the alleged scam. In its remand application filed in a special court, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had claimed that there was a "massive scam" in the liquor trade in Chhattisgarh by a syndicate, comprising high-level state government officials, private persons and political executives. It also claimed that the scam generated corruption money of more than Rs 2,000 crore between 2019-22. "Such a massive scam is not possible without a nexus from bottom to top. To run such a syndicate, the blessings of a big political leader are required. The pattern of the scam directly points fingers at the chief minister of the state," Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Del

BJP got vote in name of religion and came to power: Baghel in Karnataka

With just three days to go for the Karnataka assembly elections, senior Congress leader and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel came down heavily on the BJP on Sunday, saying it got votes in the name of religion and came to power. "The BJP does not have a vision. While unemployment and inflation are at their peak, its leaders are busy talking about religion. They got votes in the name of religion and came to power," he charged. Baghel was in Karnataka to campaign for his party's candidates. He also took a swipe at the BJP over alleged corruption under its rule in Karnataka. Accusing former deputy chief minister K S Eshwarappa of corruption, Baghel said, "Since Eshwarappa ji was caught and the matter became public. People have decided that this is a 40 per cent commission government and they have to remove it.... This is public money that the BJP is stealing...." The Congress has accused the BJP dispensation in Karnataka of engaging in rampant corruption and "taking 40 per c

Governor's power to withhold assent for bills should be reviewed: Baghel

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday said the powers of a Governor to withhold assent for bills passed by a state legislature should be reviewed. Talking to reporters here on the sidelines of a function to mark Dr B R Ambedkar's birth anniversary, Baghel took veiled swipes at the previous governor for withholding her assent to reservation bills passed by the Chhattisgarh Assembly in December 2022. The role of the Raj Bhawan should be reviewed. How long it can keep a bill pending for assent?" he said. Reservation is a state subject, and if a governor withholds such bills for four to five months, youngsters seeking seeking college admissions or appearing for recruitment exams are affected, he said. "If such a bill is kept pending, then definitely there should be a review of how long a bill can be held up, he said. A governor should either return a bill or sign it, Baghel said. "So does he have the right to jeopardize the future of our youth?" the chief minister .

Chhattisgarh: VHP calls for state bandh after communal clash in Biranpur

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has called for a statewide bandh in Chhattisgarh on Monday after a communal clash in Biranpur village of Bemetara district left one person dead and three policemen injured. All roads leading to the village have been barricaded by the police. Senior security personnel and district administration officials have been camping in the village since Saturday when the violence erupted. The situation remained tense on Sunday and a huge posse of police personnel was deployed to avoid any flare-up. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has appealed to people to maintain peace. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the kin of the deceased blamed the police for the incident. The violence in Biranpur, having a population of around 1,300 and located 60 km from Bemetara, erupted on Saturday after a fight between some schoolchildren. A village resident, Bhuvneshwar Sahu (23), was killed while three policemen suffered injuries in the violence that prompted the loc

Baghel attends All India Steel Conclave, hails industries' performance

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday attended the All India Steel Conclave at Nava Raipur and appreciated the performance of the state industries during the covid pandemic

Chhattisgarh CM announces procurement of 20 quintals of paddy per acre

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday announced that the state government will procure 20 quintals of paddy per acre instead of the existing 15 quintals. He made the announcement in the state Assembly while replying to discussions on the Chhattisgarh Appropriation Bill, 2023. The Congress-ruled state would be facing Assembly elections by the end of this year. After discussions, the budget of 1,21,500 crore for 2023-24 was passed in the House. His government was committed to empowerment of 'annadata' (crop growers) and had decided to procure 20 quintals of paddy per acre in place of existing 15 quintals per acre, Baghel said. Further, educated unemployed youth in the state will be given allowance of Rs 2,500 from April 1, he announced. Unemployed youth in the age group of 18 to 35 years who have passed class 12, and with annual family income of less than Rs 2.50 lakh will benefit from the scheme, he said.

Baghel talks of past statements of PM, BJP leaders against Gandhis

Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a criminal defamation case regarding his Modi surname remark, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday spoke of the barbs such as "Mir Jafar" used by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders for Gandhi. Talking to reporters on the Assembly premises here, he also accused the BJP-led Centre of attempting to "threaten" and "suppress" constitutional institutions. The court's decision is before everyone and bail has also been granted. The fight will continue further," Baghel said. ..but in today's politics, political sanctity has ended. There can be differences of political ideology but there was mutual respect between leaders earlier. Now it has collapsed, he said. Leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Ram Manohar Lohia, Rajiv Gandhi had respect for political opponents. Now that political harmony has deteriorated and only the BJP is responsible for it, he said. "What kind of words we

BJP does not want common people to get reservation benefits: Baghel

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday said that BJP does not want common people to get the benefits of reservation

Centre stalling Parliament to avoid Adani questions: Chattisgarh CM Bhagel

On the BJP demanding an apology from the Congress MP over his remarks in London, Baghel said this was the first time that a ruling party was creating a ruckus in Parliament

Women need to be economically secure, says Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel

The Chief Minister also took note of various crimes like human trafficking and Cybercrime in the State and said that they should be eradicated

'Chhattisgarh govt to carry out survey of beneficiaries for housing scheme'

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday said if the Union government did not conduct a survey of eligible beneficiaries for a housing scheme, the state government will carry it out itself. Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks on the Governor's address in the Legislative Assembly, Baghel said his government was committed to provide pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries. The motion of thanks was passed after discussion. The last Census took place in 2011 and it was necessary to collect information about the changes in the lives of common citizens so that eligible beneficiaries could get the benefit of welfare schemes, the chief minister said. The Union government should ascertain the details of constructed pucca houses, toilets built under the Swachh Bharat mission, benefits under the Ujjwala gas Scheme, 'doubling' of farmers' income, household electrification and the status of employment of beneficiaries of skill development programs in the last 12 ..

Central agencies being used as weapon for vendetta politics: Bhupesh Baghel

"Are the public not seeing this? They have understood how you are torturing industrialists, businessmen, and public and party workers. The more they use such tactics, it will boost our confidence