Amit Jogi, the Congress legislator from Marwahi, who is facing a possible suspension from party for his alleged role in fixing Antagrah Assembly by-election in 2014, reiterated on Saturday that the audio tape was `doctored’ and sought a Narco test of those linked to the tape to bare the facts.
Addressing a press conference in Bilaspur, Jogi who is son of former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, made a veiled attack on Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Bhupesh Baghel for acting `as a judge’ in the tape controversy.
Baghel has a long history of strained relationship with Jogi family and he had already issued a show cause notice to junior Jogi after a Delhi-based English newspaper recently published a report based on transcripts of the telephonic conversations involving Ajit Jogi, Amit Jogi, Puneet Gupta who is son-in-law of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, Jogi’s close associates Firoz Siddiqui and Ameen Menon in which Jogis allegedly talked to Gupta in the run up to Antagarh assembly seat by-election to make Congress candidate Manutram Pawar withdraw from the contest to allow the BJP a walkover.
The report has created storm in Chhattisgarh and Chief Minister Raman Singh too termed the telephonic transcript `a result of an intense internal fight within Congress’.
While escalating fight with his arch rival PCC chief, Amit Jogi alleged that Baghel had given statements against him in tape episode even without waiting his reply to a show cause notice which indicated a bigger controversy against him.
He alleged that his family had been on target since 2003 with a purpose to crush Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste leadership in Chhattisgarh.