Shah Slams Baghel: ‘Prepaid CM’ Accusations Fly Amid Allegations of Scams

In a fiery address during a pre-election public meeting in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah took aim at Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, dubbing him a ‘prepaid CM.’ Shah asserted that Baghel operates solely based on bribes and accused him of transforming the state into a Congress collection center and ATM.

Shah leveled serious allegations against Baghel, claiming his involvement in various scams, including the Rs 6,600 crore PDS scam, the Rs 5,000 crore Mahadev betting app scam, public service commission scam, and a Rs 700 crore district mineral fund scam. The Home Minister even referenced a unique accusation, asserting Baghel’s involvement in a cow dung scam.

Warning of consequences for the corrupt, Shah declared that if the BJP secures victory, those implicated in scams will be “hung upside-down.” He criticized Baghel for not fulfilling promises, citing the failure to implement a liquor ban and highlighting an alleged Rs 5,000-crore excise scam by the state government.

Shah announced the BJP’s promises, including providing cooking gas to women at Rs 500 per cylinder for five years and issuing annual cheques of Rs 12,000 to married women. He questioned Baghel’s ability to deliver on similar commitments, especially as the Chief Minister faces an uncertain political future.

The Home Minister also addressed Baghel’s alleged involvement in the Mahadev betting app scam and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s respect for Lord Shiva, citing the naming of the ISRO spacecraft’s landing point on the moon’s south face as the ‘Shiv-Shakti’ point.

As Chhattisgarh gears up for the second phase of assembly elections on November 17, the political landscape intensifies with Shah’s strong rhetoric against the incumbent Chief Minister. The outcome of the elections, along with those in four other states, will be revealed on December 3.