While interacting with the scribes in Khapri Rest House, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said that BJP leaders have expertise in lying and spreading rumours. The BJP leaders are making false statements on National Security Act (NSA) to divert people’s attention. He said that in Gujarat model, poor are becoming poorer and a handful of people are becoming billionaires, but in Chhattisgarh model, the Government was generating income among the poor, farmers and labourers. This is the reason why there was no effect of recession in Chhattisgarh. Maximum number of conversions took place during Dr Raman Singh’s tenure when churches were built in large numbers, he maintained.

During the interaction, Bhupesh Baghel said that BJP leaders are not speaking anything on reservation and not even appealing to the Governor to sign the bill. But they are talking loud about NSA which is not a law made by the State Government. The State Government does not have the right to make a national law passed in Lok Sabha. Dr Raman Singh did not have any problem when he invoked NSA at least 10 times when he was the Chief Minister.

“Will Dr Singh tell people why his government invoked NSA so many times in the state. In fact the BJP leaders are afraid of getting implicated for spreading false rumors on conversion. This is the reason why they are crying foul,”

he maintained.

Baghel said that BJP leaders are saying that the central government sanctions fund for paddy purchase. BJP should tell people how much money has been given by the central government. He told that BJP leaders were continuously telling lies and making false statements in all matters including NSA and conversion. He alleged that conversion in Chhattisgarh took place during Raman Singh’s tenure and maximum number of churches was also constructed that time. He said that people in the state have completely lost faith on BJP and they are not prepared to be cheated again. The Chief Minister further said that two models are being discussed in the country including Gujarat and Chhattisgarh model. “For the last 8-9 years, in the name of Gujarat model, BJP won the elections of 2014 and 2019. But the Gujarat model is for the rich as only a handful of people are becoming billionaires and trillionaires. As far as the Chhattisgarh model is concerned, there is no recession in this. In Chhattisgarh model the efforts are to generate income for the poor, farmers and laborers,” he asserted. When asked about SIT report, he said that the SIT was formed to investigate the Naan scam. But BJP leaders approached the High Court to stop the investigation. Now a stay has been imposed. As soon as the stay is removed, the investigation will start again. Senior party leaders including MLA Rashmi Singh, Chairman of Apex Bank Pramod Naik, District President Vijay Kesharwani besides others were present during press conference.