Congress high command summons Chhattisgarh CM, health minister as rift widens

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, former union minister Pawan Bansal and Congress Chhattisgarh in-charge PL Punia are among the leaders that are expected to hold a meeting with the duo tomorrow.

Hyderabad:Amid escalating tension in Congress Chhattisgarh between Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Health Minister TS Singh Deo, the party high command has summoned the two stalwarts to New Delhi. The duo is expected to meet the party's top brass on Tuesday. While TS Singh Deo has already reached Delhi, Baghel will arrive in the national capital tomorrow.

Baghel will meet Congress' former President Rahul Gandhi tomorrow, sources in the party confirmed. The meeting will also be attended by Chhattisgarh Congress in-charge PL Punia. Besides, the two leaders will meet AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal ahead of their meeting with Gandhi. A party insider said the duo might be called separately to register their grievances. A similar strategy was used by the Congress to resolve the crisis in Punjab.

The issue has its origins in the Congress' thumping majority in the state in 2018. Bhupesh Baghel, then the party president, and senior leaders Charan Das Mahant, Tamradhwaj Sahu and TS Singh Deo were among the favourite contenders for the chief minister's post. After intense parleys, the party high command chose Baghel to anchor the ship.

However, soon enough, rumour mills began doing the rounds that the party had agreed upon a 'shared leadership' formula to assuage the interests and ambitions of TS Singh Deo. According to this formula, while Baghel would be the chief minister for the first two-and-a-half years, Deo would be at the helm of affairs for the remaining tenure of the government. However, the party leaders never spoke about it in open.

Baghel, during his previous visit to the national capital, had met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and party's general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. After this meeting, he had informed the media, "The high command instructed me to take oath, so I did. When they say someone else will be the chief minister, it will be so.

Last month, Deo had walked out of the State Assembly after his own party MLA Brihaspati Singh alleged that Deo had planned an attack on him for praising Baghel, further increasing the rift within the government.