`Missing' BSP candidate helping Jogi in Marwahi

`Missing' BSP candidate helping Jogi in Marwahi
AMBRISH KUMAR

MARWAHI, FEB 11: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi today confessed that Bahujan Samaj Party candidate for the February 19 Marwahi by-election, Din Dayal Otti, was in fact, campaigning in his (Jogi's) favour.

``The so-called missing BSP candidate has been campaigning for me for the last two days,'' Jogi told The Indian Express.

Earlier, the Chhattisgarh unit of the BSP had lodged a complaint with the state election office, complaining that their candidate Din Dayal Otti ``has been missing since February 6''. BSP state office secretary and spokesperson Jeevaraj Prakash Ratre had complained about their candidate going missing in an interview to The Indian Express and had accused Jogi of engaging in horse-trading and abusing his official position while canvassing in the reserved constituency.

And as the campaign hots up, BJP national vice-president Pyarelal Khandelwal said that his party wants to avenge Jogi's engineering of the defection of their MLA Ram Dayal Uikey, to the Congress.

The BJP will ensure that Jogi bites the dust for trying to destabilise the Opposition rank and file, Khandelwal said, adding: ``Marwahi will repeat thehistory of 1962 when then chief minister of Madhya Pradesh Kailash Nath Katju was defeated by Jan Sangh candidate in Jawara by-polls of Ratlam district.''

The BJP is contesting the Marwahi by-poll on the issue of original and fake tribals and Khandelwal said that ``the true Adivasi'' Amar Singh Khushro of the BJP would win the election, defeating the ``corrupt and fake tribal Ajit Jogi''.

Central SC/ST Commission Chairman Dilip Singh Bhuria has asked the state Chief Secretary to ascertain Jogi's caste. Directing the Chief Secretary to reply before February 15, Bhuria has asked whether Jogi is a tribal or not.

On his part, Jogi said that the issue has now been passed on to the voters ofMarwahi as the High Court had already ruled in his favour. ``It is an issue the BJP raises only during elections. Why do they stay silent otherwise.''

Meanwhile, the state BJP has faxed a letter to Chief Election Commissioner complaining about Jogi's alleged abuse of official machinery during his election campaign. ``Both money and muscle power have been extensively used by Jogi to influence voters and terrorise BJP workers,'' state BJP office secretary Subhash Rao said.

PTI adds: TRIBAL leaders belonging to Marwahi today came out openly in support of Jogi, claiming that he was a ``real tribal''. Refuting state BJP's allegations, Harisingh Porte and 36 other tribal leaders from Marwahi, in a joint statement here said: ``It is totally baseless that Jogi's caste is Jogi. It is wrong that his caste has been mentioned in school and college records as Jogi.''

``Although the question raised by BJP about Jogi's caste has no basis, it was essential to answer it,'' they said. The Chief Minister was born in Jogi Dongri, where he has landed property which had figured in revenue records also, they clarified. ``The proof of his being a tribal was issued to Jogi during school, college and politics by various tehsildars and deputy collectors. If he is not a tribal, he should not have been issued such caste certificates,'' they claimed.

``Jogi is from the Gondwana region and is proud of being born a tribal, hence voters should not be misguided by BJP's false campaign,'' they said.