It may be recalled that TS Singh Deo and Bhupesh Baghel have been at the loggerheads over sharing the CM post.
Speaking to the media later, Pawan Agarwal said that Bhupesh Baghel must vacate the CM seat and make way for TS Singh Deo.
In Chhattisgarh, the factionalism is far from over with tension still simmering within the party over Bhupesh Baghel and TS Singh Deo. A video of the incident which has gone viral shows a party leader being pushed off the podium when he started to address the gathering. Local Congress leaders and workers entered into a brawl at the party workers conference in Jashpur after former district president Pawan Agarwal was pushed away from the podium and stopped from speaking. He was speaking about health minister TS Singh Deo.
Speaking to the media later, Pawan Agarwal said that Bhupesh Baghel must vacate the CM seat and make way for TS Singh Deo. “TS Singh Deo waited for 2.5 years and now Bhupesh Baghel must vacate his seat. When there was no Congress government in the state, Deo and Baghel worked together and it’s due to them that Congress came to power in Chhattisgarh. When I was saying this, people of Kunkuri MLA attacked me,” claimed Pawan Agarwal.
#WATCH | Chhattisgarh: Local Congress leaders & workers enter into a brawl at party workers conference in Jashpur after party's ex-dist pres Pawan Agarwal was pushed away from podium & stopped from speaking. He had started speaking on Min TS Singh Deo when the incident took place pic.twitter.com/7joKTUlYgE
It may be recalled that Deo and Baghel have been at the loggerheads over sharing the CM post. The battle has divided the party into two factions. The lower Congress ranks have been involved in direct conflict many times and today’s episode is one such example.
Last month, a local unit of the Congress in Bilaspur raised its voice against a party MLA demanding his expulsion after the MLA protested against the registration of a police case against another local leader who happens to be a supporter of Singh Deo.
There has been a demand for changing the guard after Baghel completed two and a half years as chief minister in June 2021. Singh Deo had claimed time and again that the party high command had agreed in 2018 to hand over the post to him after the government completed half its term.
Both the leaders had even reached Delhi and met Rahul Gandhi in August this year.
Speaking to the media later, Pawan Agarwal said that Bhupesh Baghel must vacate the CM seat and make way for TS Singh Deo.
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