Newly appointed Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister TS Singh Deo has rubbished all reports of infighting in the party, stating that he and chief minister Bhupesh Baghel "were working together and will continue to do so".
TS Singh Deo was appointed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge as the deputy chief minister in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday in an attempt to stem infighting in the state unit ahead of the year-end Assembly polls.
"Our priority will be to work together for the development of the state. I will fulfil the responsibilities given to me. The CM is Bhupesh Baghel and we will fight in the face of the current CM only, this is how Congress works but we will all work together. No specific responsibility has been given to me as of now," Singh Deo told reporters on Thursday.
He was accorded a warm welcome on Thursday by a huge crowd of supporters at the airport who raised slogans of "TS Baba Zindabad" .
Singh Deo also shot down speculations that there were two-and-half years of power-sharing "agreement" between him and Baghel. " I never discussed any such agreement. It was a buzz in the media. However, I always got positive support from the media," he added.
The factional feud within the party came out to the fore in mid-2021 amid speculations that Singh Deo will replace Baghel as the chief minister for the rest of the term in a power-sharing agreement. Singh Deo had also hinted last year that he was being sidelined in the government.
Baghel hailed Singh Deo's appointment on Wednesday, seeking to put up a united face. Baghel wrote on Twitter, "Congratulations and best wishes to Maharaj Sahab for getting responsibility as Deputy Chief Minister."
However, political analysts see Deo's appointment as a move by Congress to put up a united front ahead of the elections. Congress faces a formidable challenge from the Opposition BJP. "The decision seems to be the party's move to resolve differences within the ruling Congress in the state. However, it should have been taken much ahead of the Assembly polls. Such a decision at this point in time could boomerang on the party," senior journalist and political analyst R Krishna Das told PTI.
Singh Deo, known in party circles as a humble and grounded leader, has a solid support base in the northern part of the state (Surguja). He is also said to enjoy the confidence of the party high command in New Delhi.
A scion of the erstwhile Sarguja royal family, Singh Deo is currently holding Health and Family Welfare, Medical Education, Twenty Point Implementation and Commercial Tax (GST) portfolios. A three-time MLA, Singh Deo was elevated to the position of the Congress Legislature Party leader after the party lost the 2013 Assembly polls. Since then, Singh Deo made efforts to bring the party to power in 2018 in the state, considered as one of the bastions of the BJP.
The Congress leader was given crucial charge of drafting the party's manifesto for the 2018 Assembly polls. He travelled across the state and consulted every section of society before preparing the pre-poll document. The promises made by the Congress in its manifesto, particularly for farmers, were credited for the party's resounding victory in 2018.
Meanwhile, the BJP has hit out Singh Deo's appointment. Former CM and senior BJP leader Raman Singh took a dig and tweeted a rhyme, "Dubne lagi kashti to kaptan ne yu kuchh kiya, saup di hai patwar aadhi dusre ke hath me (when the boat started sinking, the captain did something like this, half of the helm has been handed over to someone else). Congratulations to Maharaj ji for the remaining 4 months."
(With inputs from PTI)
