Chhattisgarh Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo said on Monday that he gave up his Panchayati portfolio as a responsible Minister because he had failed to        perform as per expectations.

Some other person can do justice to the portfolio, Singh Deo told the media here.

Singh Deo, who has had a running feud with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, surprisingly surrendered the Panchayati Raj portfolio on July 16. He was meeting  journalists for the first time after the episode.

He said: “During a visit, the Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj had pointed out the pathetic performance in implementation of the Prime Minister Housing Scheme (PM Awas Scheme) and related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA).

“Taking the                  responsibility for the failure on myself, I thought it was better to relinquish the portfolio so that better work can be done. These have been highlighted in the letter along with many more issues,” he said.

On the issue of 14 Congress MLAs including Ministers seeking his ouster from the cabinet on charges of indiscipline, Singh Deo said it was their opinion and everyone has a right to air their views.

“I had only expressed my opinion through the letter,” he emphasized.

On his New Delhi trip, he said Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had called a meeting on July 20 regarding the Gujarat          election. So, he was going to Jaipur via Delhi.

"I will seek appointments from key leaders. If given time, I would naturally have an interaction with them," he said.

He said he would attend the Assembly's monsoon  session and would request any other Minister to reply to questions raised during his absence in the House. 

Singh Deo, a senior Congress leader, had in a             letter to Bhupesh Baghel accused him and bureaucrats of not allowing him to work freely in the Panchayat and Rural Development          departments.