RAIPUR: The rejection by a high-powered scrutiny committee of Ajit Jogi’s claim of belonging to a tribal community is likely to take a curious turn in Chhattisgarh where he is a formidable third force.
If the former CM loses his tribal identity, he’ll lose his negotiation power with non-tribal leaders and voters. Nearly 32 per cent of the tribal population in Chhattisgarh don’t consider Jogi as a tribal.
The decision of the committee, which was constituted on the directive of the Chhattisgarh High Court, might put the opposition Congress at a better advantage than the BJP, since the latter faces a stiff anti-incumbency challenge after being in power for three consecutive terms.
The report will be submitted to the HC and the Supreme Court.
“I will challenge this in court. The decision is a political conspiracy. I belong to the Kanwar tribe. It’s not the high-powered but the ‘CM-powered’ committee that has prepared a fictitious report,” alleged the 70-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician.
Chief Minister Raman Singh retorted, “The government has nothing to do with the decision. Now the court will decide on it.”
On January 25, Chhattisgarh High Court had directed the state to constitute a committee to examine Jogi’s caste authenticity. It was to conclude the findings by May 31.
The HC gave the order on a writ petition filed by former BJP MP Nand Kumar Sai, who pointed out that Jogi had been claiming tribal status through ‘forged’ evidence. Sai cited that the SC had directed the Chhattisgarh government on October 13, 2011, to form a special committee to decide on Jogi’s caste. The panel failed to take any decision following which Sai filed a writ petition in the High Court. An election petition by Sai had earlier questioned Jogi’s caste claim.