Ahead of the Marwahi Assembly By-election scheduled for November this year, Ajit Jogi's daughter-in-law Richa has been issued a show cause notice by the district caste certificate investigation committee over her caste credentials. Following a complaint lodged by BJP leader Sant Kumar Netam demanding the revocation of Richa Jogi's case certificate, the committee asked Richa to furnish evidences to support her caste credentials failing which her certificate will be annulled. The committee has granted her 10 days-time to furnish the necessary documents.
Previously, former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi and his son Amit had landed in soup over their caste credentials. Ajit Jogi, a bureaucrat-turned-politician who passed away recently, had remained embroiled for close to 20 years in a legal battle involving his caste certificate.
Netam, who had challenged the caste certificates of late Ajit Jogi and his son in the past, recently complained to Mungeli collector challenging Richa's caste certificate issued by the tehsil office, Jarhagaon Rajasv Mandal, in July over various anomalies.
The 18-point complaint mentioned that Richa had secured a caste certificate with 'Gond' caste while the certificate issued to her earlier did not have it mentioned. He also pointed out other anomalies including mismatch in signature, email ID, phone number, Aadhar details and a number of other issues in the online application of 'Richa Rupali Sadhu'.
Fearing legal obstacles in the way of his candidature over his caste credentials, Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) chief Amit Jogi was reportedly planning to field his wife Richa from Marwahi seat in the upcoming by-poll. Following the issue over his wife’s caste certificate, Jogi took to Twitter to retaliate with an emotional message.
None questioned the caste credentials of Richa's family in the past as they were engaged in government jobs for the last five decades but now she had fallen under the scanner for being the daughter-in-law of Ajit Jogi, said Amit on his Twitter handle. Those questioning Marwahi’s daughter-in-law will get a befitting reply from public, he claimed.
Previously in 2018, Richa had contested from Akaltara seat but did not face any issue then as it was a general category seat.
Reacting to the matter, Congress media cell chairperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its B team (JCC) were resorting to variety of gimmicks in Marwahi by-polls and the present controversy was a part of their plan.
Former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi had represented the Marwahi seat for 20 years and the Jogi family was desperate to keep the seat in by-poll to ensure that the family's political legacy remained intact.