After caste, Jogi tries age card

Most leaders who hold some ground in the state are above 70 . Hinting at this, Jogi said: ‘‘I have allowed everyone to grow in the state and my ministry which is full of young people…’’ On leadership change, he said: ‘‘The stand of my party has been made clear categorically,’’ referring to the AICC statement that ‘‘Jogi would not be asked to resign’’.

In the face of the chargesheet and the ongoing case questioning his tribal status, Jogi came to Delhi armed with a latest election survey of Chhattisgarh, which gave 63 of the 90 seats to Congress in polls. ‘‘…That is because whenever a person is targeted, whether it is Indira Gandhi, not that I am comparing, or Laloo Yadav or even Modi in Gujarat, the person gains in elections,’’ he says.

‘‘I have full faith in the judiciary and this flimsy and frivolous chargesheet will not stand. Anyone who reads the chargesheet will laugh. It does not even say there was a forgery, the CBI has behaved like a member of the Bajrang Dal,’’ he said.

‘‘They say that I should have inquired from Intelligence Bureau…If I had known that it was a forgery would I have done what I did?’’ he said, claiming that BJP is ‘‘too scared to even mention the chargesheet…They gave it to me on a platter’’. On whether he would be present at court in Delhi on November 18 for the hearing of the chargesheet, he said: ‘‘The summons have not come yet, let them come then I will decide.’’

Jogi looks forward for the hearing in the fake certificate case in Shahdol: ‘‘Tomorrow the opposite party asked for an explanation on why they misled the court, because this matter has been settled thrice earlier.’’