Central Government May Arrest Me If They Get Chance: Bhupesh Baghel

 Accusing the BJP-led government at the centre of misusing its power as well as central agencies, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday alleged that the central government will immediately take action against him on getting an opportunity.

CM Bhupesh Baghel said, "They are not getting any chance (to arrest me); otherwise, are they going to leave me? They are misusing their powers."

CM Baghel expressed this while speaking exclusively with ANI in Raipur on Friday in response to a question about whether he feels that ED would arrest him as the central agency had held bureaucrats and raided the addresses of people close to him.

Dubbing the action carried out by the ED in the recent past as a part of the conspiracy, the CM said that they (BJP) do not have any programmes or schemes to attract the public, so they are constantly trying to defame the state government.

"They (referring to the opposition BJP in the state) are no longer capable of fighting. Being in power for 15 years, they got used to availing themselves of the benefits of privileges and are now not in the state to fight. Therefore, they are indulging in defaming the government and yet to prove anything," said the CM.

Terming the raids carried out by the central agency in Chhattisgarh on rice millers (on Friday) as a move to impact the paddy procurement drive, which is scheduled to commence from November 1, the CM said the action was done to defame the Chhattisgarh government.

"They have stooped so low to gain power that they are not even thinking about the financial loss of farmers," said the CM.

The Election Commission has announced that the first phase of polling for 20 seats in Chhattisgarh will be held on November 7, and the remaining 70 seats in Chhattisgarh will go to polls on November 17.

Polls will be held in Mizoram on November 7, Chhattisgarh on November 7 and November 17, Madhya Pradesh on November 17, Rajasthan on November 25 and Telangana on November 30.

The counting of votes will take place on December 3 in all the states. Of the five states, polling in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases.

The Model Code of Conduct has come into force with the announcement of poll dates. The elections to five states are crucial as they are being held months before the Lok Sabha elections in April-May next year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)