RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel and a party spokesperson have been questioned by the CBI in connection with the alleged circulation and possession of a "sex CD" allegedly featuring a state minister.
In October last year, a controversy had erupted in the state politics following a "sex CD" allegedly involving Public Works Department Minister Rajesh Munat surfaced after the arrest of a senior journalist Vinod Verma in Ghaziabad of Uttar Pradesh by the Raipur Police.
A CBI team quizzed Baghel last night for about two-and-a-half hours at the Officers' Mess in Police Lines here, while party spokesperson R P Singh was questioned this afternoon, an official of the probe agency said.
Talking to PTI, Baghel said, "I was summoned to appear at the Camp Office of the CBI in Police Lines last evening where I was interrogated for about two-and-a-half hours.
" He, however, did not divulge much details about the interrogation and accused the ruling BJP of "using" the probe agency for political gains."
"The Congress is going to start its campaign tomorrow from Jhiram Ghati on the fifth anniversary of ghastly Naxal attack on its leaders in 2013 there. The BJP was not in a good condition in Bastar, and therefore it has been making such attempts to prevent the Congress by using the CBI for political gains," Baghel said.
He said his party had raised several question when the alleged sex CD issue surfaced in October last year, but all those are still unanswered.
He demanded that the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) should also be brought under the purview of CBI probe in the CD case as the "fake" and "real" CDs were allegedly distributed there.
Asserting that he will cooperate with the agency in the investigation, Baghel said he had sought the CBI probe into Jhiram valley Naxal attack, Indira Priyadarshini bank scam and Antagarh bypoll fixing tape case in the state, but those were not considered.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters today Chief Minister Raman Singh said the CBI was doing its duty and it was the agency's responsibility to bring out the truth.
"Those who had shown the CDs while holding a press conference will naturally be interrogated. It is the responsibility of the CBI to bring out the truth and it was doing its duty. The agency has been interrogating all the persons related to the case," the CM said.
"Congress itself demands CBI probe and when the investigation is being conducted, it has been raising questions over it," he added.
According to the Raipur Police, a case of blackmail and extortion was registered at Pandri police station based on a complaint by BJP leader Prakash Bajaj, who had said that he "was being harassed over phone by an unidentified caller who told him that he had a CD of his 'aaka' (master)".
After the investigation, a search team was sent to Delhi and Verma was arrested from Ghaziabad on October 27, 2017, the police had said.
They had claimed to have recovered 500 CDs, pen drives etc.
After Verma was arrested, the sex video allegedly involving PWD minister Munat surfaced in Raipur, triggering a political storm with the Congress and the BJP targetting each other on the issue.
Munat had then lodged a complaint against Baghel and Verma at the Civil Lines police station in Raipur for allegedly tarnishing his image through the "fake" CD.
The Chhattisgarh government had then recommended a CBI probe into the row.
Verma was granted bail by a CBI court in Raipur in December last year.