 "Himanta Biswa Sarma")
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel will not be spared by Lord Mahadev and will seek account of every single penny.
Accusing CM Baghel over his involvement in the Mahadev betting app scam, Biswa said, "Lord Mahadev will not spare him, and will also seek account of every single penny used by the chief minister."
At an election rally in the Rajim constituency, Sarma blamed the Congress party in the state for rampant religious conversions and said that the state government had formed a nexus with Naxalites.
Sarma said, "Recently, when I was in Bilaspur, I came to know that Bhupesh Baghel looted Rs 508 crore through the Mahadev app. I thought the ED must have written less as more money than this (Rs 508 crore) must have been looted in this scam. Bhupesh Baghel's term as the chief minister was for 2.5 years and the remaining 2.5 years was for (his cabinet colleague) T S Singh Deo. Bhupesh Baghel, however, got an extension, which would not have been possible without exchange of money."
During the investigation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) stated that a "cash courier" said that the Mahadev betting app promoters paid Rs 508 crore to Bhupesh Baghel. However, the chief minister has denied the charge.
Sarma further said that "naming the app after a Hindu God" is a scam. "He committed a scam by naming the app as "Mahadev". He would have given me the name "Bhupesh" or he would have used my name, "Himanta". But, they named it Mahadev. Now, Mahadev will not spare him. Bhupesh ji, your time has come to give an account and you have to give it," he added.
Chhattisgarh will vote in two phases, with results declared on December 3. The first phase of polling for 20 seats concluded on November 7 and the remaining 70 seats will be voted on November 17. The Model Code of Conduct has already come into effect in Chhattisgarh.
