Raipur: Chhattisgarh's newly-appointed Deputy CM TS Singhdeo, who returned from New Delhi on Thursday, was accorded a grand welcome by his supporters at Raipur airport. Chhattisgarh Congress in-charge Kumari Shailaja and PCC Chief Mohan Markam greeted Singhdeo. TS Singhdeo's supporters are elated after he was made the Deputy CM. ETV Bharat catches up with Singhdeo soon after his arrival.
Here are excerpts:
Question: You have been made the Deputy CM of Chhattisgarh before the assembly elections 2023. What is the reason for this?
Answer: I was 'TS Baba' when I went to Delhi from Chhattisgarh. Today is also I'm the same. There is no difference. As a member of the Cabinet, the Chief Minister was responsible for everything. Only I've been made his deputy. The sense of responsibility has increased with the post. Our party high command is asking me to do more than the routine job I was doing. I will try not to disappoint the party's top leaders in New Delhi and other colleagues.
Question: There was a talk that the party high command appointed you as Deputy CM to quell anger in the ranks. Is it true?
Answer: There existed no such thing. You know in states where elections are held, leadership in Delhi take certain decisions. Top leaders are holding regular meetings in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Such a meeting was earlier postponed. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, it was fixed. This meeting was held to chalk out election strategy and find an effective mechanism so that the party remains on a better footing. There were 16 people at the meeting. Cabinet members were accompanied by senior MLAs, PCC leaders, National President Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Venugopal.
Question: Has Congress appointed you as Deputy CM to do damage control?
Answer: When Deputy CM was made in Rajasthan, there was no resentment. It is a natural process to choose a senior person for the post. same happened in Karnataka. There was no Deputy CM in Chhattisgarh. Therefore, the high command felt that this responsibility should be given to someone like me.
Question: Not much time is left for assembly polls. Will you be able to deliver the goods?
Answer: Reaching out to people and working for gaining their trust is a must. I'm up to the task.
Question: Who'll be Congress's chief ministerial face in the upcoming assembly elections?
Normally, the Chief Minister stays in the race but the opposite also happens at times. If you don't want someone as the Chief Minister, then the party has the choice of asking the person to stay away from the contention. When a party places trust in someone, it means it has faith in that person.
Question: Are you likely to be the next CM of Chhattisgarh?
Answer: It depends on the party high command to decide on the matter.
