Pressured by CM not to pursue matter against Jogi: BJP leader

In a new twist to the Ajit Jogi caste controversy, a BJP leader who had accused the former chief minister of having secured scheduled tribe status by forging documents, today claimed the PA of Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh had "pressured" him not to pursue the matter.

Sant Kumar Netam alleged it was done at the behest of Singh and that his personal assistant O P Gupta even offered him money.

However, Gupta dismissed the charge as "baseless" and "unfounded".

Netam had in 2001 complained to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes that Jogi had claimed scheduled tribe status on the basis of forged documents.

A high-level panel set up by the state government had earlier dismissed Jogi's claim of being a tribal following which his caste certificate was revoked.

"Chief Minister Raman Singh's PA O P Gupta called me to the residence of the CM on July 6 and pressured me to stay out of the matter," Netam told a press conference.

"Gupta first called me on June 30 and told me that the CM wanted to meet me. I reached Raipur the next day, but the meeting didn't happen. Gupta called me again on July 5 and asked me to meet at the residence of the CM the next day," Netam said.

Netam claimed he met Gupta at the CM's residence on July 6 and was told Singh wanted him to not pursue the matter further.    He alleged that Gupta offered him to pay Rs one lakh.

Demanding an impartial probe into the entire episode, he said he would complain to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes chairman Nandkumar Sai about it. He claimed his life was under threat.

Dismissing his claims, Gupta said: "Netam came to meet the chief minister at his residence a few days back on the day when CM meets common people. As Netam had to wait, he left the place disappointed. I don't understand why he is making such allegations. Nothing of the sort he has alleged happened that day," he told PTI.

The controversy over Ajit Jogi's tribal status has been a political issue in the state since 2001.
Besides Netam, BJP leader and chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Nandkumar Sai had also moved court on the issue.

The matter later went to the Supreme Court which ordered the state government in October 2011 to constitute a committee to decide the matter.

In January this year, the Chhattisgarh High Court had asked the state government to ensure that the committee gave its report by May 31.

Jogi had served as the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh from November 2000 to November 2003. He was an MLA from Marwahi seat reserved for scheduled tribes.

Last year, he parted ways with the Congress after he and his son got embroiled in a controversy over alleged fixing of the by-election held for Antagarh seat in Kanker district in 2014, facilitating the victory of the BJP candidate.

After about a year, an audio tape containing telephonic talks purportedly between Chief Minister Raman Singh's son-in-law Puneet Gupta, Ajit Jogi, then a Congress leader, and Amit Jogi surfaced, hinting at their alleged involvement in "fixing" the bypoll.

Jogi, who had been sulking for long over being sidelined in the Congress, floated 'Janata Congress Chhattisgarh' last year.

He recently moved the Chhattisgarh High Court against revocation of his caste certificate.