The Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party government has come under attack from the main Opposition Congress following the Supreme Court order on Wednesday declaring as null and void the allotment of 20 acres of land in Bhopal to the Kushabhau Thakre Training Institute Trust.
According to information received here, the top court has ordered the cancellation of allotment of land and asked the Kushabhau Thakre Trust to return it within 15 days. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and senior state minister and former chief minister Babulal Gaur chose to evade questions in this regard.
Mr Chouhan was non-committal when mediapersons confronted him on this count.
An official spokesman later told this newspaper that the chief minister would take a stand only after going through the Supreme Court judgment.
State Congress general secretary Rajiv Singh went on the offensive and sought the chief minister’s resignation.
He said that all those involved in this land scam should be tried under the anti-corruption law. He said that the entire BJP owes an explanation since senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani, Venkaiah Naidu, Kailash Joshi, Sanjay Joshi and Bal Apte are trustees in the controversial Trust.
The Supreme Court verdict on Wednesday coincided with the BJP’s Foundation Day.