The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, has made a significant remark yet again. However, he refrained from mentioning the names of any national-level BJP leaders. Baghel expressed, “Why is it that when daughters of prominent BJP leaders are involved, it is regarded as love, but if anyone else does the same, it is deemed as Jihad?” He suggested that senior leaders of the BJP should inquire about the whereabouts of their daughters and with whom they live.
CM Baghel had reached village Akaltari in Bilaspur to participate in a program organized to pay tribute to his close advisor’s grandfather after his death. Talking to the media, Baghel said, ‘Two children have died in a fight in Bemetara. It is sad for anyone to die. However, Baghel accused the BJP of creating an unfavorable environment by politicizing the Biranpur case and exploiting it for their political gains.
Taking a dig at the BJP, Baghel said, “What did you try to stop them. You only have to bake political bread.”What efforts did you make to prevent it? Your sole focus is to further your political agenda.” He criticized the BJP for having different laws for their own family members, who occupy influential positions as ministers and MPs, while others are subjected to different standards. The communal violence in Biranpur village, which is located 60 km away from Bemetara town, began after a dispute among school children on April 8th, resulting in the death of a local resident named Bhuneshwar Sahu (22), and injuries to three police officers.
Baghel accused the BJP of adopting a hypocritical stance on two separate issues, thereby revealing their political opportunism. He cited two instances to back his claim. In the first instance, he referred to the death of Korwa tribals of Jashpur, where the BJP formed a committee and submitted its report to the Governor. However, in the second incident, namely the Biranpur case in Bemetara, no such committee was formed, and all BJP MPs were merely following the crowd. Baghel asserted that instead of visiting the family of the deceased and offering condolences, the BJP leaders were deliberately adding fuel to the fire.
Baghel emphasized that the BJP only seems to have two major electoral issues – communalism and religious conversion – on which they want to contest elections. In contrast, the Congress party has a broader agenda of public welfare issues to address, such as unemployment, farmer’s welfare, healthcare, and overall development.