Baghel: FIR in Mahadev app case politically motivated by BJP fearing poll defeat

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel insisted on Sunday (March 17), that the FIR filed against him in the Mahadev online betting case by the state's EOW was politically driven.

Baghel claimed it was a deliberate attempt to tarnish his image, as the BJP is expecting huge losses in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Baghel, a Congress MLA, has been fielded by the party from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat.

EOW case

The state's Economic Offence Wing (EOW) registered a case against Baghel and 18 others in the alleged Mahadev online betting scam based on a probe report submitted by the Enforcement Directorate.

"The FIR was registered by the EOW on March 4 then why it was not uploaded in its website and made public? The FIR was made public on Sunday after a newspaper carried a report on this," Baghel said in a press conference.

"In the FIR copy, my name was mentioned as accused at the 6th place. The content of the FIR in which names of the promoters of the app has been mentioned, does not have my name. The FIR is politically motivated, I was deliberately implicated under pressure. It was done due to political vendetta," he alleged.

Anti-gambling laws

Baghel said his government had registered 72 FIRs in connection with Mahadev app since 2022 and around 450 people were arrested, adding that anti gambling laws in the state were made more stringent in his tenure (between 2018 and 2023).

The previous Congress government in the state had issued a look out circular against Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, promoters of the Mahadev betting app and it was the responsibility of Central government to ensure their arrest, he said.

"They were not arrested and during last assembly polls, a twist was brought to the story with entry of Shubham Soni. Till then there were only two promoters of the app Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. Suddenly video of Soni was released from BJP office, not from the ED office, in which Soni claims he is the app's promoter," Baghel said.

"Then a person Asim Das Asim was arrested (in November) along with huge cash pile in a car. The four-wheeler seized from his possession belonged to brother of a BJP leader Amar Agrawal (now an MLA and former minister). Even pictures of Das with incumbent assembly speaker and former assembly speaker Premprakash Pandey surfaced," Baghel further alleged.

'Still operational'

The Mahadev app is still operational, Baghel claimed, and asked if this was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guarantee and good governance of Vishnu Deo Sai government.

"Why have the promoters of Mahadev App not been arrested yet. Is there any deal? The BJP is anticipating massive loss in Rajnandgaon as well as in the entire state after I was made candidate from Rajnandgaon. Therefore I was falsely framed in the Mahdev app case to impact elections," he added.

"I am neither scared nor will step back with such moves", he asserted.

Baghel also said details that emerged about the electoral bonds show maximum donation was given to the BJP by a company Future Gaming and Hotels Service, he said.

(With agency inputs)