'Need A Protector Who Can Break PM Modi's Head': C'Garh Cong Leader's Remarks Draw BJP Ire, CM Sai Hits Back

Elaborating on his remarks, Charan Das Mahant expressed the need for a leader who consistently carries a stick and has the ability to confront Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his governance.

New Delhi: Marked by a flurry of verbal jabs and retaliations among politicians, the electoral fervour for the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls has begun to pick pace. Among these war of words between the ruling party and Opposition, Leader of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Assembly and former Union Minister, Charan Das Mahant said the Centre requires a "protector" capable of wielding a stick and “break heads” if need be, and if such a figure exists, it is their MP candidate Bhupesh Baghel.

Elaborating on his remarks, Mahant expressed the need for a leader who consistently carries a stick and has the ability to confront Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his governance.

"PM Modi ke khilaf agar koi lathi dhar ke khade ho sakte hai to tumhare sansad khade ho sakat hai. Humko lathi dharaiya aadmi chahiye… Narendra Modi ke mur phoraiya aadmi chahiye (If there is someone who can stand against PM Modi with a stick, it is Bhupesh Baghel. We need a stick wielding protector. Someone who can break PM Modi’s head)," he said. 

He made the remarks during campaigning in the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency for former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Mahant also targeted leaders who defected from the Congress, asserting that should Baghel ascend to the position of Chief Minister once more, those who abandoned the party should not expect to be inducted back.

During an interaction with the media, Mahant attributed the Congress’s defeat in the recently-concluded assembly elections to “wrong decisions” taken by its leaders, workers, former CM Bhupesh Baghel, and himself. However, he asserted that the achievements of Baghel's administration far surpassed anything achieved by the BJP till date.

Hitting out at Das over his remarks, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai posted on X, "The Congress mindset is thinking of hitting the Prime Minister with a stick!! Today I am telling you I am from Modi's family, if you have the courage, then hit me first."

Meanwhile, Congress candidate Bhupesh Baghel submitted his nomination for the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday. Baghel exuded confidence in securing victory, expressing optimism in the electorate's support within the constituency.

The incumbent holder of the seat is BJP’s Santosh Pandey, who secured victory over Congress' Bholaram Sahu by a substantial margin of 1,11,966 votes in 2019. Pandey has been renominated by the BJP for the upcoming election.

Chhattisgarh will hold elections for its 11 Lok Sabha seats across three phases on April 19, April 26, and May 7, with vote counting scheduled for June 4. Polling in Rajnandgaon is slated for the second phase on April 26.

(With inputs from Jai Prakash Tripathi)