Tension between Chhattisgarh former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, state Finance Minister O. P. Choudhary and T. S. Singh Deo, former deputy chief minister over allegedly connected photograph paper in a betting syndicate has further worsened in the state.
The drama started because of a photo posted by Bhupesh Baghel on social media, where he showed the image of another alleged betting operator and O.P. Choudhary. Baghel, in his post, alleged that there was a close platonic relationship between the accused and finance minister and joked that they were “eating together and building Chhattisgarh together.”
Reacting in response to it, O.P. Choudhary shared another picture of the accused with T.S. Singh Deo. The razor-thin issue in the picture is that the accused seemed to have access even to the private residence of Singh Deo, thereby adding to the escalation of the political tussle, he said.
A public statement with a photo by then T.S. Singh Deo revealed his disappointment over having his name dragged into the controversy. He noted that it was unfortunate and unnecessary to drag him into the fray just for the purposes of “counterattacking” for the sake of politics.
The exchange wasn’t over, however, as O.P. Choudhary countered it by stating “Singh Deo is a good person and has joined the wrong political crowd.” On the subject of old political equation of Baghel and Singh Deo, he likened them to the famous ‘Jai-Veeru’ duo and noted that when someone spits dirt at someone else then some of that dirt is bound to land on his close associates.
The controversy has roiled state politics and landed both campions of the ruling and opposition parties in hot water for alleged ties with betting syndicates.