RAIPUR: A day after the Congress's move to appoint T S Singh Deo as the deputy chief minister of Chhattisgarh, the state minister said he had never spoken of an "agreement" over rotation of the chief ministerial post and claimed it was a buzz created by the media.
After arriving at the Raipur airport from New Delhi on Thursday morning, Singh Deo expressed gratitude to the party for the announcement of his elevation and said "der aaye durust aaye" (better late than never).
A Congress statement on Wednesday said party president Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the proposal for the appointment of Singh Deo as the deputy chief minister in Chhattisgarh.
The decision to appoint him as the deputy CM came just a few months ahead of state Assembly elections due this year-end, but Singh Deo said the responsibility given even for a day is crucial.
He was accorded a warm welcome on Thursday by a huge crowd of supporters at the airport who raised slogans of "TS Baba Zindabad".
Asked about the two-and-half years of power-sharing "agreement" between him and Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Singh Deo said, "I never discussed any 2.5-year agreement. It was a buzz in the media. However, I always got positive support from the media."
The Congress's move to appoint Singh Deo, locked in a turf war with CM Baghel for months, as deputy CM appears to be an attempt to stem infighting in the state unit and prepare it for the year-end Assembly polls.
Baghel, who faces a formidable challenge from the Opposition BJP in the crucial Assembly elections, has hailed Singh Deo's appointment, seeking to put up a united face.