Infighting in the beleaguered Congress in Chhattisgarh has intensified further with rival leaders in the party indulging in mudslinging against each other.
Aggrieved over being marginalised in the party ahead of November-December Assembly polls in the state, former chief minister Ajit Jogi has thrown gauntlet against his adversaries in the party to prove if they acted as true Opposition leaders in the state.
“Some of the Opposition leaders have been hobnobbing with the state BJP government. I am the only Congress leader who has taken on the Raman government over its various omissions and commissions”, Mr Jogi said while addressing a gathering of Satnamis, a dalit community, at Patan, nearly 80 km from here, on Monday evening.
The first CM of Chhattisgarh, who has launched a tour of some areas in the state since Sunday to take his battle to his rivals’ turfs, has also warned his opponents in Congress to fall in line to survive in state politics.
“Finally, they (Mr Jogi’s adversaries) have to embark on ‘Jogi Express’, if they want to be part of ruling establishment in the state,” he said while addressing a meeting at Arang, nearly 60 km from here on Tuesday, indicating that his rivals have no other options but to join his camp.
Mr Jogi has appeared to have unnerved the Congress leadership here by attracting huge crowds to his meetings.