NewzVille Desk
The Congress on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the revelations of massive land purchase by the family members of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson and Chairman of the AICC Media and Publicity Department Pawan Khera, along with Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president Jitu Patwari, noted that the large-scale land purchases by the family members of the MP CM. “Sangham Sharnam Gachchhami”, remarked Khera, suggesting that those involved in land grabbing had the protection of the ‘Sangh’ (the RSS).
He also referred to the RSS not registering itself, saying it wanted all the authority but no responsibility and no accountability.
Khera said that the BJP had betrayed the religious faith of people, pointing out not only had family members of the MP CM purchased land in sacred city Ujjain, but those managing the Ram Temple in Ayodhya had also looted the donations offered by the devotees.
The Congress spokesperson equated the land purchase by CM’s family with the “inside (insider) trading” in the stock market, pointing out that his family obviously had prior knowledge that particular areas would be developed and they had bought land in advance.
He said, the Chief Minister has the knowledge of the upcoming projects, influence and power, which has been grossly misused.
Questioning the BJP’s silence on the matter and its tendency to protect those accused of wrong doings, he compared it with the Congress decision to remove Ashok Chavan as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra after allegations surfaced regarding his mother-in-law owning an apartment in Adarsh Housing Society.
Patwari took a dig at the silence of the BJP and the MP government, pointing out that more than 30 hours had passed since the publication of a news report on the land purchases by the Chief Minister and his relatives. He asked, if the report is incorrect, why no action has been taken against the newspaper and why no defamation case has been filed.
Jitu Patwari posed several questions to the CM, asking him to provide straight answers. He asked whether the CM’s family had actually purchased the land or not.
He also sought clarification on whether the corridor and development policies had been altered, and whether the timelines of these projects can be made public.
He further asked if everything is transparent, then can the BJP order a judicial probe and can the CM issue a white paper detailing the land his family has owned since 2023.
The MP Congress president said that the Ujjain land grab scandal was just the first in the series, and disclosed that recently two more scams had come to light.
One, he said, was linked to the “transfer industry” involving six departments to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore, and the other was related to handing over land worth Rs 500 crore to a trust for just Re 1, one of whose members is the CM’s cultural adviser,
