Bhupesh Baghel
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A brief biography/ as in 2018
Joseph John, Baghel: Street-fighter who never gave up, December 17, 2018: The Times of India
Bhupesh Baghel, the gritty warrior who just never gave up, is credited with instilling courage in Congress workers to fight against a well-entrenched BJP in Chhattisgarh and rout the mighty Raman Singh government.
Having taken over as PCC chief in the aftermath of Congress defeat in 2013, Baghel, a backward caste leader, had a huge task in hand — revive the state Congress and fight the faction led by former CM Ajit Jogi. Infighting was at its peak then. After three consecutive defeats, the state Congress was in tatters. Days before he took over, nearly the entire frontline leadership of Congress was wiped out in the Jhiram Ghati Maoist massacre. All hope seemed lost.
Baghel stepped up. Sharing a good chemistry with the soft-spoken leader of the opposition T S Singhdeo, Baghel began rebuilding the party from the grassroots, checking erosion. He courageously cast out the seemingly all-powerful Jogi, and began jabbing at the BJP government.
Inside and outside the assembly, Baghel took on the BJP regime head-on, quite in contrast to the previous 10 years when most senior Congress leaders were seen “softpedalling” on the BJP government, and particularly wary of saying anything against Raman Singh. Baghel had no such hesitation and went hammer and tongs at the CM and top ministers.
As his political attacks intensified, cases were registered against Baghel and his family members by Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in connection with an alleged land grabbing case. Baghel insisted it was out of political vendetta.
In April 2018, police arrested journalist Vinod Verma, a close confidant of Baghel, claiming that sex CDs of a minister were found in his possession. An FIR was registered against Baghel and CBI named him in the chargesheet, along with a BJP leader, Kailash Morarka.
Baghel refused to seek bail and stayed in jail for a couple of days before Congress high command persuaded him to come out on bail and focus on election campaigning. Despite criminal cases being filed against him, Baghel was undeterred and intensified his attacks on the CM. BJP leaders saw Baghel as a major political irritant. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to BJP chief Amit Shah, BJP big guns targeted him during the election campaign. But Baghel had the last laugh.
As a minister in undivided Madhya Pradesh and later in the Ajit Jogi government, Baghel came to be known as an able administrator. He was deputy leader of the Congress legislature party during the first tenure of BJP from 2003-2008. A gradate, he became a legislator for the first time at the age of 32 and has been elected to the assembly four times.
