Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], November 3 (ANI): Hours, after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel may have received Rs 508 crore from the Mahadev betting app promoters, former Chief Minister Raman Singh on Friday, said that this allegation cannot be “more shameful for a state’s Chief Minister.”
“Exchange of money worth Rs 508 crore has taken place. This means Chhattisgarh CM has taken money from people engaged in Mahadev betting app. Liquor scam, coal scam, and rice scam were there, but now evidence has been presented by the ED. What can be more shameful for a state’s Chief Minister?” Raman Singh said speaking to ANI on Friday.
Singh said that the matter is clear and that Baghel should not be in Chief Minister’s post.
“Asim Das was arrested and cash amounting to Rs 5.39 crore was seized from him, he gives Bhupesh Baghel’s name. Now the matter is clear. If a person is accused of such a crime he should no longer remain in that post,” he said.
The BJP leader said that the Rs 508 crore amount was just taken from Mahadev betting app promoters and there could be more money involved to influence the upcoming polls in Chhattisgarh.
“This money was coming in for influencing elections. No wonder how much has been collected from elsewhere. This is just the amount from the Mahadev betting app. This is why he is confident of his victory. Those who engage in corruption lose eventually,” Singh said.
Singh also claimed that several other players were involved in the scam while alleging Baghel of sending a substantial amount to his party headquarters in Delhi.
“Bhupesh Baghel is the ATM of Delhi. From top to bottom, many are involved in this scam. He sends a substantial amount to the headquarters in Delhi,” he said.
The ED on Friday said that according to fresh evidence following a search operation on November 2, it has come to light that regular payments have been made in the past and so far around Rs 508 crore has been paid by Mahadev App Promoters to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
The ED received credible inputs and conducted successful search operations on November 2 in Chhattisgarh in which Rs 5.39 crore in cash was intercepted in the poll-bound state.
Chhattisgarh will go to polls for the 90-member Assembly in two phases — November 7 and 17. The counting of votes for Chhattisgarh Assembly has been scheduled for December 3, along with those of four other poll-bound states.
Congress stormed to the hustings in Chhattisgarh in the 2018 elections, winning 68 of the 90 seats and hogging 43.9 percent of the total votes polled. The BJP had to be content with just 15 seats. (ANI)
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