The latest expose about alleged payoffs to two Madhya Pradesh ministers, a number of officers and largesse extended to some ruling BJP bigwigs on the basis of dairies seized during an income-tax raid on the premises of two Bhopal-based business groups engaged in the mining sector in June 2012 has put the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in a tight spot while the main Opposition Congress has gone on the offensive and demanded that the ministers facing bribery charge should immediately submit their resignations.
According to available information, the income-tax department, after seizing documents in simultaneous raids on June 20-21 last year on the premises of two business groups, Dilip Buildcon Pvt Ltd owned by Dilip Suryavanshi and SR Ferro Alloys of Bhopal run by Sudhir Sharma, has referred the case for investigation to the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta.
The two state ministers — Rajendra Shukla and Laxmikant Sharma — whose names have surfaced as payoff recipients, have firmly denied the allegations. Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Ajay Singh, has sought the resignation of both these ministers facing charges. Turning down this demand, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday said; “Merely if someone’s name figures in a diary, one does not become guilty.” This is not the first time that names have been flashed on the basis of entries in a diary, he said adding both the minister have made their position clear in this matter.
When asked to give his reaction, state BJP president Narendra Singh Tomar told a section of the media here that the Congress is behind the conspiracy to target the ruling BJP. State minister for industry Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the Central agencies were being misused by the Congress for political mileage before the Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh. He said that few years ago names had also figured in a diary seized during an income-tax raid on a major distillery group. At that time in his capacity as chief minister, Mr Digvijay Singh had stated in the Assembly that one does not become guilty if his name figures in a diary. Mr. Vijayvargiya cited the example of veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani and said even he was named in the Havala scandal and everyone knows the outcome of that case.