R Krishna Das
Raipur, July 27
Shocked and stunned with the development unfolding in Chhattisgarh Congress targeting him, State’s Health Minister T S Singh Deo today left the Assembly with a vow not to return till his name was cleared in an issue that allegedly did not have any technical grounds.
Unlike other Congress-ruled states where the party had been struggling to douse infighting, Chhattisgarh had a bizarre paradigm. Singh Deo, fondly known as TS, had been an aspirant for the Chief Minister’s post for his crucial strategy and role in toppling the 15-year-old BJP government that paved the way for Congress to come to power. Party preferred Bhupesh Baghel with a reported formula of half-term sharing. Senior Congress leaders however refuted any such formula.
Singh Deo never talked about it publicly nor raised voice unlike leaders in other states challenging the leadership. Even if anyone wished to talk about it, he humbly turned it down with a big smile. Ironically, he had been targeted literally for his silence. Chhattisgarh contests the conception; instead, TS is being beset. A fresh salvo on him had stirred the political cauldron in Chhattisgarh politics.
A tribal Congress MLA Brihaspat Singh staggered everyone by alleging that state health minister T S Singh Deo “is a Maharaja” and can get him “murdered”. The MLA was earlier a staunch supporter of Singh Deo but switched loyalty to his opponent camp.
Singh’s reaction was an outcome of a minor road rage incident that did not have any technical or legal ground to grill Singh Deo. On Saturday, one Sachin Singh Deo and his friends had an altercation with the personal security officer of Brihaspat Singh in Ambikapur. Ostensibly, Singh was nowhere in the scene of crime and was reportedly camping in the guest house.
It is reported that after the incident, Brihaspat Singh reached the Kotwali police station and lodged a complaint against Sachin, a relative of TS and three others. The police apprehended them and TS defended the police action stating that law would take its own course.
The petty issue took a political twist when Singh alleged that Singh Deo could get him “killed”. Political experts in Chhattisgarh connected it to the internal fight in the party pursuing TS. Legal experts seconded it and stated that since Singh was not in the vehicle, how could he be the target? Experts could not establish how a clash with his security officer could make him the mark.
The opposition BJP raised the issue in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly as the monsoon session started on Monday. Amidst the uproar, Singh Deo left the House stating that with the permission of Speaker, he was leaving as his presence in the August House was unmeaning till the Government cleared his role in the incident. Political pandits envisaged it as another insult on Singh Deo with the most colourful hues.
The political crises in Chhattisgarh had literally plumbed new debts.
