Old battle and a new truce: In Chhattisgarh, Baghel vs Singh Deo plays out over Hasdeo Aranya

Baghel had then put the project on hold, saying, “If T S Singh Deo doesn’t want trees to be cut, not even a branch would be harmed.” Singh Deo, in turn, thanked Baghel on social media.

While that has served to put the lid, at least for now, on the simmering protests and voices of opposition from the BJP against the project, it brought back the focus on another fault line that the Congress has been papering over: the power tussle between Baghel and Singh Deo.

It’s an open secret that the two Congress leaders have been embroiled in an internal cold war for months now that has, over time, soured into a deep silence between the leaders.

While Singh Deo has missed several Cabinet meetings, the Baghel faction allegedly ensures that Singh Deo’s photographs rarely feature in government posters. His supporters allege that at times, the posters are even removed before the official programme begins.

In August 2021, in a meeting with Rahul Gandhi, the two leaders had blamed each other for pushing the government into turmoil over the rotational chief ministership issue.

While sources close to Singh Deo have been claiming that the party leadership, at the time of the election victory in 2018, had agreed to split the five-year chief ministerial term between Baghel and Singh Deo, Baghel has publicly denied any such agreement. The CM has been stating that he is under the party’s order to continue as CM.

Singh Deo, who has waiting to hear from the party leadership, has been open about his chief ministerial ambitions.

“If a person plays in a team, then doesn’t he think about becoming the captain? Won’t you want to become one? Everyone thinks about that but the question is not about his thoughts, it’s about his capabilities,” Singh Deo was quoted as saying by news agency ANI in August last year, soon after his meetings with Gandhi.

Over the last year, Baghel has emerged stronger, putting behind him the constant talk about rotational chief ministership. Also, with a majority of the MLAs with him and considering that he has established a rapport with the Gandhis, Baghel had been breathing easy.

However, with the central leadership coming up with little more than band-aid solutions, party sources say it’s only a matter of time before the issue spills over.

The tussle between the two leaders has affected several government programmes — from the implementation of PESA rules to health projects such as the Urban Development Department’s Dhanwantari slum hospitals.

The Opposition BJP, which is itself facing issues of factionalism, has been quick to point out the differences between the two Congress leaders.

Ex CM Raman Singh said, “The Congress party is too busy fighting itself. The Health Minister and the CM don’t seem to talk. How are they running a government?”