BJP moves no-trust motion against Jogi

A BJP no-confidence motion against the Chhattisgarh government today charged CM Ajit Jogi with bribing Nandgaon zilla parishad president Prem Bhai Mandavi and raked up the controversy over his tribal status.

BJP MLA Brij Mohan Aggarwal came armed with a bunch of documents and claimed that Jogi was a fake tribal. When the treasury benches protested that the case was sub-judice, the Speaker did not let Aggarwal speak at length on the issue or quote the documents he had brought. Jogi’s family — son Amit and wife Renu — were accused of interfering in the government’s affairs. Voting will take place tomorrow after Jogi’s reply.

At the BJP office in Delhi, Mandavi pulled out bundles of Rs 500 notes from her handbag totalling about Rs 2.5 lakh alleging this was given to her by Jogi to join the Congress. ‘‘I was threatened and bribed. I was forcibly asked to give in writing that I was joining the party but I didn’t,’’ she told reporters here. She said she was not allowed to lodge an FIR in Raipur or to surrender the currency to police.