Manturam said – had fought as an independent to benefit BJP: Big revelation after joining BJP, said – previous government was putting pressure

From Congress to BJP, then to Independent and now again to BJP… This is the current situation of former Antagarh MLA Manturam Pawar. On Monday, he took membership of BJP in the presence of Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai. After joining BJP, he made many revelations in an interview given to Dainik Bhaskar.

Read what Manturam Pawar said…

Question- Why did you join BJP?
Answer- There is nothing new for our people, I had joined Bharatiya Janata Party in 2015 also. But something happened in between and I left BJP. About 14 thousand of our workers are with me even today. The capital is very far away, 350 kilometers from Bastar, so not all people could come to Raipur.

After leaving from here, all the workers who have joined us will join BJP. Its reason is that today there is a Modi wave in the entire country. The guarantee given by Modi is being fulfilled 100% by the Chhattisgarh government headed by Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai. I feel that not only Chhattisgarh but the entire country is moving towards BJP. Now Congress and other parties are breaking up, all are joining Bharatiya Janata Party.

Question- Last time you contested the assembly elections as an independent, why?
Answer- Yes, I contested the elections as an independent candidate in 2023 through Manturam Pawar support party. We showed strong performance in Antagarh Assembly. After leaving Bharatiya Janata Party, I never went against Bharatiya Janata Party.

The previous Congress government definitely put pressure on me, to take revenge for the same we made a plan and to benefit the Bharatiya Janata Party, I contested the elections as an independent, due to which the Congress party lost.

Question- You have been changing parties many times, how will the public believe?
Answer- Whatever happens after this, we will remain with Bharatiya Janata Party. See, the meaning of faith is that one who works is believed. We will go among the people and make them believe. Our Lok Sabha is Kanker Lok Sabha, candidates have been declared. We will make Bhojraj Nag win with an overwhelming majority.

Question- Did Congress also try to call you back?
Answer: There was pressure from Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of the previous government, pressure from Congress people but I was not interested in joining Congress. We had left Congress after rebelling, so the question of joining Congress again would not have arisen. Therefore, we, our workers, all of us have decided that all of us, the people of Manturam Pawar Committee, have joined BJP.

Question- You had said some time ago that there was a threat to life?
Answer- Now we have party strength, Congress is broken. We have so many workers that now he (Mantu is saying this to his opponents) will never dare. We have become a part of the biggest party in the country and will not try to point fingers.

Manturam and Tape scandal:
By-elections were held in Antagarh Assembly in the year 2014. Mantu was then the candidate from Antagarh from Congress. Manturam Pawar withdrew his name at a time when Congress could not field another candidate. Apart from Manturam, 7 other candidates had also withdrawn their names, due to which the BJP candidate got a walk over in the elections.

After the elections, an audio went viral in which there was reference to horse-trading of candidates for withdrawal of nominations. The audio was allegedly said to be the voices of Amit Jogi, Manturam Pawar, Dr. Puneet Gupta, Ajit Jogi. In this case, the Congress government had constituted SIT for a fresh investigation. However nothing happened.

Mantu has made big allegations against Raman and Munat.
Mantu joined BJP in 2015. After this, in September 2019, he came in front of the media with a new claim. Manturam Pawar had then said that I was called to Delhi on 3 November 2015 after the Antagarh by-election. Had met Dr. Raman Singh, Puneet Gupta, Firoz Siddiqui in Delhi.

During that time Raman Singh had said that Puneet Gupta is here, he will meet Rajesh Munat and set everything, don’t worry, everything will be better. But I neither got any post nor prestige in BJP. Manturam alleged that only BJP people used to say that former CM Dr. Raman Singh had bought Manturam.

Mantu had then said – The one who sold me was Ajit Jogi and the one who bought me was Raman Singh. Raman Singh always used to tell me that I have already given Rs 7 crore, if you did not get it then where did it go. After this claim, the then BJP state president Vikram Usendi expelled Mantu from the party.

Now Mantu’s joining BJP before the Lok Sabha elections indicates some political setting. Manturam had contested elections from the Communist Party in the 1990s. Joined Congress and also became MLA, when he left Congress, joined BJP, then was expelled from the party, now he is in BJP again.