New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday demanded a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge into the charges of land purchase by family members of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing a press conference here today, Congress spokesperson and Chairman of the AICC Media and Publicity Department Pawan Khera along with MP Congress president Jitu Patwari alleged that land purchases by Yadav’s family members had taken place under the patronage of the BJP and the RSS.
“Sangham Sharnam Gachchhami”, remarked Khera, suggesting that those involved in the alleged 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 or accountability.
Khera alleged that the BJP has betrayed the religious faith of people, pointing out that not only had family members of the MP CM purchased land in the sacred city of Ujjain but also accused those managing the Ram temple in Ayodhya of “looting” donations.
The Congress spokesperson equated the land purchase by the CM’s family with “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 alleged that the chief minister had knowledge of upcoming projects and he “grossly misused” his influence and power.
Questioning the BJP’s silence on the matter, Khera compared it with the Congress’ decision to remove Ashok Chavan as Maharashtra chief minister after allegations that his mother-in-law owned an apartment in Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai.
“In this matter, no action is expected from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He’ll feast on ‘melody’ abroad and ‘jhal muri’ at home, his chief minister will swallow land and the donated gold-silver,” he alleged.
MP Congress Committee (MPCC) president Jitu Patwari criticised MP BJP president Hemant Khandelwal for seeking to divert attention from the issue by saying that Yadav was being targeted as he belonged to the OBC community.
“Such big allegations have been made; who is stopping them (agencies and the Yadav government) from filing an FIR against the media house which has released the report?” he asked.
Patwari said the BJP is talking about caste to divert attention from Yadav’s alleged land scam issue.
“It is unfortunate that the media is also printing such headlines, whereas it should say that just because the chief minister is OBC, it doesn’t mean corruption gets a free pass,” he said.
Patwari posed several questions to Yadav, asking him to provide straight answers. He asked if everything is transparent, then can the BJP order a judicial probe and can Yadav issue a white paper detailing the land his family has owned since 2023.
“Chief Minister Mohan Yadav should explain: Which companies of your family have directly benefited from the development projects? Will the government make public the changes made in the master plan of the relevant area?
“Were the relevant farmers there, who already own land there, aware of these transfers? Will you take the initiative to pursue a judicial inquiry into this matter yourself?” he asked, reiterating why full details of land purchased by the chief minister’s family be brought before the public.
Hitting back, the BJP has alleged that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his son Priyank Kharge, a minister in the Karnataka government, have grabbed land at various locations in the state by “misusing their power and influence”, and asked why Chief Minister D K Shivakumar does not take action against them.
Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that Mallikarjun Kharge and Priyank Kharge are engaged in “land loot” in the Congress-ruled state through their Siddhartha Vihara Trust.
“Their modus operandi is inspired by Robert Vadra and the Rahul Gandhi family,” he charged.
There was no immediate reaction to the BJP’s charge from the Congress or Kharge.
