BJP rakes up Jogi's caste again

Raipur, Nov 26 (UNI) With the Kota bypoll fast approaching, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today again raked up the issue of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi's caste by alleging that the Congress leader's father Kashi Prakash had sought a collector's permission for purchasing a tribal's land thereby revealing his own non-tribal origins.

At a press conference here, state Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam even distributed photocopies of purchase documents and alleged that the original of Mr Prakash's application was tampered with.

''On September 16, 2004 one Santosh Bharti demanded from the Pendra Road deputy registrar's office an attested copy of a document from book number 55. It was found that the original was tampered with. The deputy registrar recently had a police case registered against hitherto unidentified persons,'' the minister claimed.

When asked why the BJP remembered Mr Jogi's caste only during polls and what the party had done regarding the related probe over the past three years, Mr Netam went defensive by pointing out that the matter was sub judice.

Mr Ajit Jogi's wife Dr Renu is the Congress candidate from Kota that has about 42 per cent tribal voters.

UNI SM-AC KR DB1834