A blazing row within the Congress in Chhattisgarh ended on Wednesday after Congress MLA Brihasput Singh apologised for alleging that Health Minister TS Singh Deo was to blame for an attack on his convoy.
Making a statement in the Assembly afternoon, Brihaspat Singh said: “After my convoy was attacked at Ambikapur on July 24, in an emotional outburst, I raised allegations before the media against T. S. Singh Deo. I am sorry.”
Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu promptly added: “The government has already given a statement on the incident. There is no iota of truth in the allegations against Singh Deo and these are baseless.”
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel praised his party MLA for offering an apology. "The House is for discussing public issues and my thanks to all the members for putting an end to this impediment.”
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ravindra Choubey added: “The opposition members have been alert... The Assembly has set new standards for a smooth running of the House.”
Minister Singh Deo, who had on Tuesday walked out of the House in disgust over the row, chipped in: "If my words hurt anyone, I apologize for it."
Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik and Dharamjeet Singh (JCC-J) also appreciated the move to diffuse the situation, saying it could have been sorted out on day one.
Earlier when the House met, BJP members continued to raise the allegations against Singh Deo, who on Tuesday said he will not return to the House until his name was cleared by the government.
Amid noisy scenes, the Speaker adjourned the House for five minutes. When the House met again at noon, the political drama ended.
One of the three youths arrested for the attack on the convoy is related to the Minister. This made the Brihaspat Singh suspect that the Minister had orchestrated the attack.