Poll war goes virtual in Chhattisgarh as BJP launches website of graft allegations on Congress CM Bhupesh Baghel

In poll-bound Chhattisgarh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took its anti-Congress election pitch to next level by launching a website ‘bhupaykaro.com’ to “expose” Bhupesh Baghel’s corruption.

This seems to be a tit-for-tat move as months before the last Assembly elections in Karnataka, Congress released posters of ‘PayCM’ with the then CM Basavaraj Bommai’s photograph embedded in a QR code.

During a function in Raipur, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said since the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government was elected in Chhattisgarh, it has “invented” new methods of corruption and BJP’s “app” contains details of them.

A QR code has been generated that will take the users to ‘bhupaykaro’ website which displays details of what it claims is corruption of nearly Rs 26,000 crore committed during the Congress regime in Chhattisgarh.

The tagline of Bhu-Pay QR code says, ‘har kaam ka daam, Bhu-Pay karo’ (pay the cost for every work through Bhu-Pay).

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Visit https://t.co/fap0rpKbwT for more information on #भू_पे pic.twitter.com/Mgv9VUE8cm

— BJYM (@BJYM) October 5, 2023

On being scanned, the code takes users to http://bhupaykaro.com, which displays illustrations of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his officials.

Thakur said, since the formation of Chhattisgarh, for the first time such a government has been elected which has created fresh “dimensions of corruption” by finding new methods.

“My question to the chief minister is that why 36 major promises made by his party (in 2018 assembly polls) were not fulfilled? Instead of fulfilling promises, it established a mafia rule in the state,” he alleged.

“My question to the chief minister is that why 36 major promises made by his party (in 2018 Assembly polls) were not fulfilled? Instead of fulfilling promises, it established a mafia rule in the state,” he alleged.

Thakur further said the Congress government is yet to give the outstanding bonus of 2 years to farmers in the state.

The BJP created Chhattisgarh state, in 2000, to make this area developed on all fronts, he said.

“At that time Madhya Pradesh was a BIMARU state, so we can understand the condition of the Chhattisgarh region then (when it was part of MP). But when the lotus bloomed here (in 2003), we established new dimensions of development. But in the last five years, Congress made its condition miserable,” said the Union Minister.

“On one hand, Modi ji carried out Operation Ganga and safely brought 23,000 young Indians from war-torn Ukraine to India, while on the other, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister who had taken oath by taking water of Ganga (river) on hands to ban liquor started home delivery of liquor (during Covid),” said Thakur.

Scams of Chhattisgarh govt highlighted in Bhupaykaro.com

Chhattisgarh Liquor scam

Thakur also spoke about the Chhattisgarh Liquor scam at the launch event and said, "A liquor scam of Rs 200 crore has happened in Delhi and the “ministers and leaders (of Aam Aadmi Party)” are in jail."

“If a liquor scam of Rs 2000 crore has happened in Chhattisgarh then you can understand what will happen to them,” he said, urging everyone to bring to the fore the “misrule” of the Bhupesh Baghel government through the Bhu-Pay link.

Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (PSC) scam

The controversy revolves around the results of the 2021 Civil Services Examination conducted by the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (PSC), which were released in June this year.

The BJP has accused the Chhattisgarh PSC of nepotism, with the party alleging that relatives of several government officials have been selected unfairly.

The party also claimed that the selection process lacked transparency and proper procedure was not followed. The Chattisgarh PSC, however, refuted the allegations, asserting that the selection process was fair and transparent.

Rice scam or Chhattisgarh chawal scam

The BJP has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel alleging that 68,000 ton of rice, meant for the poor, was siphoned off in the state.

Apart from this, the BJP has mentioned about details of Congress's alleged involvement in Gauthan scam, coal scam, Mahadev book app and Dubai link, DMF scam.

With inputs from agencies