‘IT officers instructed me I can turn into Chhattisgarh CM by framing CMO official’: Coal dealer

By PTI

RAIPUR: A coal dealer, whose premises have been lately searched by the Income Tax division in Chhattisgarh, has claimed that IT sleuths instructed him that he might turn into the state chief minister if he makes use of his relations with MLAs of the ruling Congress to topple the Bhupesh Baghel authorities with the help of the “opposition”.

In a video message being circulated on social media on Sunday, the dealer, Suryakant Tiwari, claimed that Income Tax officers instructed him that he might turn into “Eknath Shinde of Chhattisgarh” if he frames a CMO official.

The opposition BJP alleged that Tiwari’s assertion was given on the behest of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, which it termed as baseless.

The Congress, alternatively, mentioned the BJP was attempting to destabilise a democratically-elected authorities in Chhattisgarh and cited “examples of Karnataka, MP,Manipur, and Maharashtra” .

Tiwari additionally alleged that he was bodily and mentally tortured after he refused to implicate a authorities officer posted on the state Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) by giving a false assertion.

“During the IT search since June 30 at my premises, IT sleuths threatened me and my family members. They mentally and physically tortured me and did not even allow me to sleep for three days.”

“They forced me to link Soumya Chourasia, deputy secretary posted at the CMO, with my business anyhow and give statements against her. But the CM’s deputy secretary does not have any connection with my business activities, then, why should I implicate her?”, Tiwari requested.

He admitted to having household relations with Chourasia and mentioned that he meets her at any time when he visits the CM’s workplace for “public works”.

“I occasionally talk to her over the phone. I meet her whenever I visit the CM’s office for public works. She is not the only officer with whom I have good terms but both in BJP rule and the incumbent government, I share good relations with many officers. But IT officers wanted me to implicate her and therefore they also offered me to become the chief minister by toppling the government”, he alleged.

He claimed that IT officers instructed him that he has good relations with 40-45 MLAs of Congress and requested him to make their record, after which with the help of the “vipaksh” (opposition), the federal government will probably be modified.

“They said if I implicate Chourasia, I could become Eknath Shinde of Chhattisgarh,” he claimed.

Shinde was sworn in as CM of Maharashtra on June 30 with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy, days after his revolt in opposition to Shiv Sena management with 39 MLAs led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA authorities.

“I am a businessman and I have faith in the law of this country. I will go to court against the Income Tax department for forcing me to give a wrong statement. I will not succumb to their pressure. Unfortunately, Central agencies are being used as a tool for engineering a change of government in states”, he mentioned.

He additionally slammed senior BJP chief Raman Singh for demanding his arrest and mentioned the search carried out by IT officers shouldn’t be given a political color.

The IT division had lately raided a Chhattisgarh-based group engaged in coal transportation and linked companies and a senior state authorities officer on June 30.

The searches have been carried out in additional than 30 places in Raipur, Bhilai, Raigarh, Korba, Bilaspur and Surajpur.

The premises of Tiwari and Chourasia have been coated within the raid.

After the video surfaced on social media, Congress and BJP fired barbs at one another.