Raipur: Following Chhattisgarh Congress and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's attack on the BJP for fielding alleged rape-accused candidate Brahmanand Netam for the Bhanupratappur by-polls, the saffron party on Tuesday defended their decision, saying Netam had a 'clean' record, adding that the allegations were an attempt to slump the latter's chances in the upcoming elections.
"The allegations are meant to not just degrade Netam's character, but also paint a bad picture of the entire tribal community". Leader of Opposition Narayan Chandel and BJP spokesperson Kedar Kashyap said while speaking to reporters. They noted that the leader's name had been added to the case in the later stages and that he had not been served a formal notice yet.
The duo also said the allegation was the result of a conspiracy between Baghel and his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren who, they alleged, had gotten close politically in recent times. "Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren and Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel have become close friends recently," Chandel and Kashyap further said.
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On Monday, Congress claimed Netam was an accused in a rape case filed back in 2019 in neighbouring Jharkhand, details of which he had not mentioned in his election affidavit. Subsequently, state Congress chief Mohan Markam reached the office of RO Sumit Agrawal, who is also Chief Executive Officer of Kanker Zila Panchayat, and submitted a complaint seeking cancellation of Netam's candidature.
Markam has alleged Jharkhand police had lodged a case at Telco police station in Jamshedpur on May 15, 2019, about a 15-year-old girl being allegedly pushed into the flesh trade and raped by several persons. He had alleged the case was lodged under sections 366 A, 376, 376 (3), 376 AB, 129B of the Indian Penal Code, sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.
Bhupesh Baghel, too, had slammed the BJP, urging them to 'present the facts. "They should come out with the facts. They should explain whether the FIR was wrong. The elections (in Jharkhand) were held in November or December 2019. Before that, BJP was in power at the Centre, as well as in both Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand," he said on the sidelines of an event.
