Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 13 (HBTV): Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel criticised the current state government, claiming it has no influence in Delhi and branding it a ‘triple-engine government only by name’.

Baghel said that had the central government procured the entire paddy harvest, the state would not have been forced to auction it at a loss.

‘The Chhattisgarh government is a triple-engine only in name. It has no say in Delhi. If the central government had bought the entire paddy harvest, a poor state like Chhattisgarh would not have had to auction it and suffer a loss of INR 1,000 per quintal,’ Baghel told reporters.

The Congress leader also supported his party’s demand for a special session of Parliament in light of the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking to ANI, Baghel said, ‘The leaders of the opposition in both houses have written a letter. If a special session can be convened in J&K, why can't it be convened here? The special session should be convened.’

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting the convening of a special session of Parliament to discuss the terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people.

The Congress leadership also reiterated its commitment to support the government in combating terrorism, while calling for accountability.

‘The opposition has said in one voice that they are with the government in the fight against terrorism. The government should tell who is responsible for the deaths of people in the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Who is responsible for the security lapse? The public wants action to be taken against those behind the attacks,’ Baghel said.

In his earlier letter, Rahul Gandhi said that the Pahalgam attack had outraged every Indian and emphasised the need for a unified national response.

(ANI)