New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS): With the first phase of voting underway in Chhattisgarh on 20 out of 90 Assembly seats, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, the face of Congress in the mineral-rich state, on Tuesday expressed his confidence in the party easily achieving its 75 seat target on the basis of the past five years' developmental works.

In an interview to IANS over phone amid his busy campaigning schedule, Baghel, who is facing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) heat in connection with Mahadev online books money laundering case, also said that the "ED is BJP and BJP is ED in Chhattisgarh".

IANS: As elections are underway for the 20 seats and rest 70 seats to go to polls on November 17, how do you look at and assess your work in the last five years?

Baghel: Last Assembly elections witnessed an undercurrent of support for Congress. However, this time people are openly backing it. We are sure of repeating out victory again this time.

IANS: The Congress had won 68 seats in the last Assembly polls and went on to win three more in the by-elections and also gave a slogan of winning 75 seats this time. Do you think achieving the target will be a cakewalk?

Baghel: It does not seem tough at all as we have done a lot for the farmers and labourers in the past five years and are going into polls only on the basis of our developmental work. Schemes have been launched for every section of society be it tribals, marginalised, women, farmers. We have also worked for the employment generation and maintained the culture of Chhattisgarh which emphasizes the 'Chhattisgarhiya', which was never done before.

Hence all the sections of society are happy with our work and this appreciation will translate into votes in our favour for sure.

IANS: Any comments on Enforcement Directorate (ED) charges that you were paid Rs 508 crore by an accused in the alleged Mahadev betting app scam?

Baghel: The accused who has been arrested is a BJP councilor friend of the Mahadev APP promoters. And the vehicle in which he was caught belongs to a big BJP leader's brother.

A man sitting in Dubai claims that I was paid through hawala and the same was put in a note by the ED saying that he is an official of the Mahadev app. And the ED says that it has been stated by him. In support of its claim, a video has been released from Dubai by the BJP in which the same person claims to be the owner of the Madavev app. So a man becomes an owner from a normal worker.

What is more surprising is that the central agency had said that the directors of the Mahadev app Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal are no more owners and that a person named Shubham Soni had replaced them as the owner.

This is for the first time that the owners of any company spent Rs 200 to 250 crore in the lavish wedding of its worker Chandrakar.

Chandrakar's marriage ceremony was held in Dubai and attended by many Bollywood celebrities. Can you cite any other example from around the world where an owner spent Rs 200 to Rs 250 crore for its worker's wedding?

I feel that these are planted stories as ED has issued a press statement. So the ED is BJP and BJP is ED.

IANS: BJP has alleged that you never made a request for banning the Mahadev app, whereas Jairam Ramesh has defended you. What do you have to say?

Baghel: In a press conference on August 24 in Delhi, I had spoken extensively on the issue. Even Abhishek Manu Singhvi, K.C. Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh exposed the false narrative on Saturday during a presser.

Ramesh had clearly said though the ED has been investigating the 'Mahadev App' case for several months, it is surprising that it took so much time to ban it. He said that the demand to ban Mahadev App was also first made by me on August 24, 2023.

IANS: Coming back to the Assembly polls this year, the Congress has launched its manifesto with a lot of promises for farmers and students in the state, which were also announced by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra during her poll schedule. Please elaborate.

Baghel: Yes, for the first time the state government will take care of the children's education from KG to PG, whether it is engineering or medical education, all the costs will be borne by us and the students will get free education.

There won't be any discrimination on the basis of caste or religion. This is for everyone. We will also waive off the farmers' debts and they would receive Rs 3,200 per quintal for paddy, which includes the current input subsidy provided under the Rajiv Gandhi Nyay Yojna.

Additionally, the rate for tendu leaf collection will rise to Rs 6,000 per standard sack, and tendu leaf collectors will receive an annual bonus of Rs 4,000.

Notably, the Congress has promised several guarantees for the state which include gas cylinders for Rs 500, 200 units of electricity free, free treatment up to Rs 10 lakh housing for Rs 17.5 lakh families, and caste-based census among others.

It is eyeing to form the government for the second consecutive term in the state riding high on the developmental works in the past five years.

While in the first phase, 20 Assembly seats are going to the polls, voting in the remaining 70 seats will take place on November 17.

The votes will be counted on December 3.