"Surprised someone (Baghel) could be so desperate for power...": Smriti Irani tears into Chhattisgarh CM over betting app 'scam'
Nov 05, 2023
Kondagaon (Chhattisgarh) [India], November 5 : Union Minister Smriti Irani on Sunday hit out at the Congress, saying it took the women in the state for a ride over many years.
On a visit to poll-bound Chhattisgarh on Sunday, the BJP leader said the Congress made many tall promises to women but fulfilled none of them.
Addressing a public rally at Kondagaon in Chhattisgarh on Sunday, Irani said, "The Congress cheated the women of Chhattisgarh over the last five years. They visited households in the state, promising women that they would rid their kin of their addiction to drugs and liquor. They didn't ban liquor, but instead, indulged in a scam, looting Rs 2,000 crore from the state exchequer. They made many promises to the women but failed to deliver on a single one of them."
Reacting to the arrest of Asim Das, the alleged cash courier in the Mahadev betting app scam, who the ED alleged was sent specifically from Dubai to hand over crores of money to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Irani said, "I am surprised that someone (Baghel) could be so desperate for power as to allow himself to be remote-controlled from Dubai. Till now, I was told that his remote is operated from Italy but now I realise that it is in Dubai."
"The Congress was involved in scams in PSC recruitment and pushed children belonging to impoverished households into betting," the Union Minister added.
The Chhattishgarh CM is facing verbal volleys from the BJP in light of the ED's claim that he was paid Rs 508 crore by promoters of the Mahadev betting app.
However, Baghel dismissed the ED's charges saying it was an attempt by the BJP to taint his image ahead of the polls.
"The BJP is scared of me and wants to sully my image by misusing central agencies and throwing such baseless and unfounded charges at me," he said.
The ED on Friday said they intercepted 'cash courier' Asim Das, who was sent from the UAE to deliver a large amount of cash for election expenses of the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh.
The elections for the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly will be held in two phases, with the first phase of polling for 20 seats scheduled for November 7 and the remaining 70 seats to go for polling on November 17.
The counting of votes is scheduled for December 3.
