Centre Accused of Delaying Ban on Mahadev App in Chhattisgarh Amid Political Row

The Congress party has accused the Central government of delaying the imposition of a ban on the Mahadev app, which has become a central point of contention in the lead-up to the assembly elections in Chhattisgarh. This accusation comes despite Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s earlier appeal for action against the betting platform several months ago. The Congress party has criticized the government’s actions, alleging that instead of praising Chief Minister Baghel for his early call for a ban on the app, the government deployed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against him.

The Centre has recently issued blocking orders against 22 illegal betting platforms, including the Mahadev app, based on a request from the Enforcement Directorate. However, Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, has alleged that the Chhattisgarh government did not send any request to block these platforms, despite having the authority to do so.

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh pointed out that Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had initially raised the demand to ban the Mahadev app on August 24, 2023. Ramesh criticized the delay in implementing the ban and accused the Prime Minister of deploying the ED against Chief Minister Baghel. The Congress also refuted the Union Minister’s claim that Chhattisgarh had not requested a ban on the Mahadev app, highlighting that Baghel had continuously questioned why the central government was not taking action against the betting app, and he had also raised concerns about the imposition of a 28% GST on online betting.

The Congress party expressed its concern that the BJP government did not arrest the culprits behind the Mahadev app but rather provided legal validity to their activities by collecting taxes. They emphasized that the people of Chhattisgarh were closely watching these developments and would respond to the BJP’s actions in the upcoming assembly elections by supporting the Congress.

This development comes as the Enforcement Directorate has claimed that Mahadev betting app promoters paid around ₹508 crore to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, allegations that are currently under investigation. The Congress and Chief Minister Baghel have dismissed these charges as politically motivated, given the approaching assembly polls.

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