Raipur:
Former Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister T S Singh Deo has accepted the ‘offer’ from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ajay Chandrakar to make him Chief Minister for a day. Singh Deo said he was “ready to be Chief Minister for one day” and asked Chandrakar to prepare for the swearing-in ceremony at his residence.
The veteran Congress leader’s statement was in response to Chandrakar’s earlier jibe that the BJP could honour Singh Deo by making him CM for a day, as his aspiration would not be fulfilled in the Congress party.
“I am thankful to Ajay Chandrakar. He has not made me CM yet, but has expressed the desire to do so. I will go to his place. Chandrakar should finalise the arrangements for the oath-taking,” Singh Deo was quoted as saying.
Singh Deo also said he hoped Chandrakar would have already spoken to the Governor and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai to ensure one resignation and the other’s subsequent approval was in place.
Calling Chandrakar a “mature politician,” Singh Deo also acknowledged his humorous style.
“I have had the opportunity to work with Ajay Chandrakar for about a decade and a half. He is a mature politician, though he also has a humorous style. This statement is a humorous one, though since he is asking me to be CM, I am ready to be CM,” he added.
Health Minister says only possible in ‘Nayak’
Meanwhile, State Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal dismissed the idea, stating that Singh Deo could only become CM in a movie like Nayak, where actor Anil Kapoor played the role of a one-day Chief Minister.
Speaking in Surguja, Jaiswal said he could not comment on Chandrakar’s intent, but pointed out that the Congress, despite having 72 seats in the past, had not made Singh Deo CM.
“The BJP has 54 seats now, so there is no question of this happening,” he said.
Jaiswal also maintained that the Congress party would not have an opportunity to form a government for the next 25–50 years. He reiterated that Singh Deo could only be made CM in a movie.
How the exchange began
The entire exchange began after Singh Deo, while speaking in Bilaspur, said that the Congress would contest the upcoming elections under a collective leadership. He had also stated that he would never say he did not want to become Chief Minister.
Following this, BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar made his tongue-in-cheek offer in Bilaspur on Saturday, sparking the political banter.
