Raipur Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has taken aim at the BJP, asserting that 12 castes from Chhattisgarh have recently been included in the Scheduled Tribes list due to the relentless efforts of his government. However, BJP President Arun Ssao has swiftly claimed credit for the achievement, igniting a political storm in the state. It may be mentioned, former chief minister of Chhattisgarh Dr Raman Singh has written several letters to Union Home Minister reminding him about the proposal pending for the inclusion of 12 castes in the ST category. These castes were excluded due to some spelling mistakes. The Chief Minister, Baghel, pointed out that Raman Singh, the former Chief Minister, had written letters to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the then Chairman of the Scheduled Tribes Commission, Nand Kumar Sai. Unfortunately, those efforts did not yield the desired outcome. Baghel emphasized the significance of their subsequent endeavors. He stated, “In 2021, we wrote another letter to the Prime Minister and persisted with our efforts until we achieved success. The BJP, with its ‘double engine’ government, either lacked the will or failed in its execution.” The debate intensified when the Central Minister’s tweet indicated that the development would benefit 72,000 individuals, while BJP state president Arun Sao argued that a staggering 10 million tribals in Chhattisgarh would be positively impacted. The discrepancy has raised questions about the accuracy of the information presented. Additionally, Baghel has confronted the BJP over allegations of a cow dung scam, questioning how they can claim credit for central funds when Chhattisgarh contributes significantly more through royalties and GST than it receives. The CM refuted the allegations and demanded a thorough investigation by the CBI into any wrongdoing.
