A fierce political war of words broken out in Chhattisgarh ahead of the scheduled visit of Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi. Former Chief Minister and current Assembly Speaker Dr. Raman Singh initiated a sharp verbal attack on the Congress leadership, drawing an equally aggressive counter-offensive from former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who raised serious allegations regarding the integrity of recent electoral processes.

The political sparring escalated during a media interaction at the Durg Circuit House on Monday, setting a highly charged tone across the state’s political corridors. The dispute comes just days before Chhattisgarh Congress launches a massive ten-day organizational training camp for its newly appointed leadership.

Verbal volleys at Circuit House

The controversy sparked off when senior BJP leader Dr. Raman Singh addressed journalists at the Durg Circuit House, primarily to highlight the achievements of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government. During his address, Singh quickly shifted focus to the opposition, taking a direct jibe at the Congress MP's upcoming tour.

"Wherever Rahul Gandhi travels, the Congress suffers a complete collapse," Singh remarked filled with sarcasm. He went on to suggest that the Congress leader should visit Chhattisgarh once or twice soon, implying that such a visit would only clarify and accelerate the decline of the state unit's political fortunes.

Baghel alleges robbery of democracy

The BJP leader's remarks met with swift and furious resistance from senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel. Refusing to hold back, the former Chief Minister launched a comprehensive counter-attack, directly questioning the ruling party's recent electoral victories across various states.

Baghel pointed out that following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's strike rate in subsequent assembly polls shot up to an astonishing 90 percent. "This is not mere stealth; it is a blatant robbery of democracy," Baghel asserted, questioning how such mathematical consistency was possible under normal political conditions.

Electoral processes under severe scrutiny

Expanding on his arguments, Baghel cited recent assembly elections in states like Haryana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Assam, and West Bengal. He argued that even during the peak of Dr. Raman Singh’s personal popularity as a sitting Chief Minister, the BJP had never managed to achieve a 90 percent strike rate.

The senior Congress leader alleged that systemic manipulations are weakening the role of ordinary voters. "Earlier, the voters used to elect the government. Now, the government uses administrative machinery and electoral processes to decide who gets to remain on the voter list and who gets excluded," Baghel claimed during his press briefing.

Questions raised over EVM integrity

The opposition’s attack further intensified as Baghel brought up the issue of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). He referenced unverified reports regarding the alleged destruction of nearly 4,000 EVMs in West Bengal, demanding a high-level investigation into the matter.

According to him, incidents of this scale involving voting equipment severely damage the transparency of the democratic framework. Local political observers note that Baghel's remarks represent a coordinated strategy by the state Congress to shift the narrative toward electoral reforms ahead of regional organizational restructuring.

Ten-day training camp in Raipur

The entire political controversy is unfolding against the backdrop of the Congress party's upcoming 'Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan'. All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary KC Venugopal has already issued an official directive mandating the attendance of all newly appointed district and city unit presidents.

The massive ten-day organizational training program is scheduled to run from June 21 to June 30, 2026, at the Agniotam Alka Avatar Mangal Bhavan located near Chandi Mor in Raipur. Rahul Gandhi is confirmed to attend the session for one day to interact with grassroots office-bearers and provide strategic inputs to strengthen the party structure ahead of future local polls.