Raipur: With the “Mahagathbandhan” running through a rough terrain, due to the difference of opinion and ego clashes between the parties involved, the Congress party seems to be in doldrums. Amid this, yet another jolt was experienced by the Congress on October 13 in the form of defection.
Congress Working President of Chattisgarh, MLA Ramdayal Uike has joined the BJP, just before the elections are approaching.
Uike has joined the BJP in the presence of the party’s National President Amit Shah and Chattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, at the Bilaspur district headquarters.
The reason for Uike to leave Congress is said to be the neglect of the ST (Scheduled Tribes) leaders in the party.
Ramdayal Uike announced his defection to the BJP officially through a press conference which was held in the presence of the BJP State Unit President Dharmlal Kaushik.
Elaborating on the reasons he said, “It was suffocating to work in the party. The Congress party has damaged its image through ‘CD’ politics.”
He alleged that Bhupesh Baghel who is the state Congress chief had maligned the party image.
The ‘CD’ that Uike was referring to was the one in which a state minister was named for his involvement in a sex scandal. The name of the state minister is Bhupesh Baghel. Including Baghel, five are accused in the same scandal.
He expressed his agony over the party high command saying that it had totally neglected this case and had not removed him from the post of the state unit president.
Meanwhile, he lauded the efforts of CM Raman Singh towards the wholesome development of the tribal and backward class people.
He said that Raman Singh’s development agenda had impressed him, because of which he had joined the BJP.
Uike had quit the BJP and joined the Congress party in the year 2000. He is termed his return as ‘Ghar Wapsi’ (returning home).
On the questions of contesting the elections, Ramdayal Uike said that he would abide by the party high command’s decision.
Enraged by this decision, the Congress party has termed Uikan “Opportunist.” The party has stated that him leaving the party was of no consequence.
The Congress State Communication Wing Chief Shailesh Nitin Trivedi has told PTI, “Yet again he has proved that he is and was an ‘Opportunist’. He was in BJP earlier and left it and joined the Congress party. Once again he has repeated his trend.”
Trivedi has also said that this development will not harm the party but would rather help in winning the elections this time.
Trivedi also sarcastically commented on the Uike’s return to BJP. He said, “History has testified that whichever party Uike joins, that party will surely lose.”
Uike was the MLA of the BJP when Chattisgarh was formed in the year 2000. He was from the Marwahi constituency. Later he had joined Congress and facilitated the entry of Ajit Jogi into the Legislative Assembly after the latter was sworn in as the first CM of Chattisgarh.
According to the BJP sources, Ramdayal Uike is said to be demotivated after he was left out of the Congress Screening Committee. Since then, he has been in contact with BJP, which is ruling Chattisgarh currently.
Assumptions have it that Uike may be fielded either from Marwahi or Pali Tanakhar. These two constituencies are said to be ST reserved and both are considered his strongholds too.
According to election schedule, in Phase I, the first 18 naxal-affected constituencies will have on November 12. In Phase II on November 20, polls will be contested for the rest of the 72 constituencies.
