Baghel funded Congress Himachal poll campaign using money from Mahadev app scam: Jai Ram Thakur

Shimla, December 4

BJP’s Jai Ram Thakur on Monday said there are allegations that former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel “funded” the Congress party’s campaign in the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh “from money received through the Mahadev app scam”, and added that further investigations would reveal the truth.

Thakur, the leader of opposition in the state, targeted Baghel a day after the Congress leader lost the chief minister’s post following the Congress’s defeat to the BJP in the Chhattisgarh assembly polls.

“There are allegations that Bhupesh Baghel who was in-charge of Himachal Pradesh assembly elections held in November 2022 funded the Congress party from money received through Mahadev app scam and investigations would reveal the truth,” the former Himachal Pradesh chief minister said.

The Mahadev betting app is under the radar of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for money laundering between India and Dubai through hawala transactions.

The ED on November 3 had claimed that forensic analysis and a statement made by a ‘cash courier’ had led to “allegations” that Mahadev betting app promoters had paid about Rs 508 crore to Baghel.

An alleged courier arrested by the ED later submitted before a special court that he had been framed as part of a conspiracy and he had never delivered cash to politicians.

Thakur said the BJP won in Chhattisgarh as the state had become riddled with scams under the Congress government.

“I have campaigned in all the four states. Chhattisgarh has become synonymous with corruption – coal, liquor, gobar (cow dung), and Mahadev aap scams. The people voted for BJP for better and corruption-free governance,” he said.

“Corruption has been rooted out in Rajasthan also where over 19 papers were leaked during the Congress tenure and anti-incumbency failed against good governance in Madhya Pradesh while BJP gained in vote percentage in Telangana which increased from seven to 14 per cent,” he added.

Thakur said that the BJP’s victory in the three states was a “trailer” for the Lok Sabha elections, which he said his party would win for the third straight time with a huge majority under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Referring to celebrations on the completion of one year of the state government to be held in Kangra on December 11, Thakur pointed to flood related deaths in the state and asked “what was the government celebrating. Over 500 people have died in the recent monsoon disaster. Thousands of people have been left homeless. Unemployment is increasing. Developmental works have come to a standstill. Congress has failed to fulfil its ten poll guarantees,” he said.

Claiming that loans worth Rs 12,000 crore have been taken in one year by the government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu, the BJP leader said that with this pace the government would take loans of Rs 60,000 crore in five years.

Thakur lashed out at the state government for not fulfilling its poll promise of Rs 1,500 per month to women and 300 units of free electricity.

He said rather than giving 5 lakh jobs as promised, Sukhu government “has taken” jobs of over 10,000 outsource employees and closed over 1,000 institutions, including schools and health and revenue related offices.