When a CBI team descended on disgraced former CM Ajit Jogi’s house for a raid in connection with the cash-for-MLAs scam today, he was away in Marwahi walking door to door, trying desperately to convince his constituency that the charges—played out live on national television—were all wrong. Before the day was over, however, Jogi had quietly left Marwahi, cancelling all schedules and rushing to Raipur to catch a flight for Delhi. The suspended Congress leader had apparently been sent a word by the high command that it had finally decided to pronounce a verdict on his fate. The man himself thought the raids on his official residence, named Karuna, were ‘‘ridiculous’’. ‘‘It is ridiculous that the CBI registered cases against former Union minister Dilip Singh Judeo on corruption charges but raids were conducted in my house also,’’ he told PTI. ‘‘But it is a good thing,’’ he added, ‘‘that the CBI found nothing.’’ While that remained Jogi’s claim, the agency also raided today the office of the controversial Akash Channel. Considered loyal to Jogi, the channel is being investigated for its role in the sting operation against Judeo as well as the cash-for-MLA scam. The CBI claims that the Rs 45 lakh allegedly offered by Jogi to BJP MLAs to switch sides was drawn from an account operated by a key functionary of the channel. Jogi and his family members were not present at Karuna when the CBI team arrived. In 2000, Jogi had chosen this government house in Civil Lines and got it converted into the CM’s official residence. Earlier he had stayed in the same house as the Raipur Collector. Akash Channel, that had shut its operations soon after Jogi’s downfall, also got a visit from the state Excise Department yesterday. The raid was to seal its complex to recover arrears worth Rs 40 lakh. CBI teams also conducted searches at a palatial house in Shankar Nagar area, where staff members of Akash Channel often used to stay. The CBI team, comprising more than 40 people, has been camping in Raipur for over a week at a newly set up office, barely 500 metres from Jogi’s house. The investigation into the tapes, where Jogi purportedly is heard offering money to BJP MLAs, is being supervised by CBI Joint Director Vivek Kumar. The AICC panel headed by Pranab Mukherjee, that party president Sonia Gandhi had set up after the Jogi tapes were released, has submitted its report. AICC general secretary Vilasrao Deshmukh told Congress MPs from Chhattisgarh recently that a decision was expected within a day or two. Despite signals to the contrary, Jogi apparently continues to hope that Sonia will pardon him in the interest of the party in Chhattisgarh. He is more or less fighting a lonely battle for political survival now, with party leaders staying away from Bilaspur and Korba districts that he toured in the past three days. The only MLA constantly with him was Ram Dayal Uieki, the BJP renegade who vacated the Marwahi seat for Jogi in 2002. However, Jogi holds the potential to take away seven to eight Congress MLAs personally loyal to him. There are chances of his forming a regional outfit, mainly with tribal and Dalit outlook, as well. His supporters say Jogi’s plan is to undertake a padyatra starting from Bilaspur within a week. The former CM obviously hopes some of the old magic—when he conducted three successful padyatras in the Chhattisgarh tribal belt while still a Rajya Sabha MP—will rub off. But, again, the phone call from Delhi could put paid to all those plans.
