Congress demands Shivraj Singh Chouhan's resignation after CAG indicts state government in VYAPAM scam

Madhya Pradesh's leader of Opposition Ajay Singh has demanded the resignation of state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan following the government's indictment by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the VYAPAM scam.

The CAG in its report, that was tabled in the state Vidhan Sabha on March 24, said, "The state government did not take any remedial measures by framing rules/regulations to prevent irregularities even after VYAPAM reported some cases of irregularities in conduct of examination and despite the objection of an incumbent minister of the government. There was no evidence that the state government ensured the integrity of IT based system used in the examination conducted by the board. Early on, the government decided that the audit would not be entrusted to the CAG as it was presumed that the 'AG was very busy'. AG was not consulted in the matter."

Addressing a press conference in Bhopal on Monday, Singh said, "The CAG had made remarks against some ministers in the previous UPA government. The BJP created a furore over these remarks and demanded resignation of those ministers. The concerned minister had to resign and now the same CAG has indicted the Madhya Pradesh government in the VYAPAM scam, so why should the chief minister resign now." "Shivraj Singh Chouhan was the technical education minister - the ministry that controlled VYAPAM at a time when the scam was being carried out in the state. A minister and other top officials of the board have been arrested and have stayed in jail for a long time in this case, so why has Shivraj Singh Chouhan not been questioned. Keeping in mind the CAG's latest observations, Chouhan should step down immediately," he added.

Singh also claimed he had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to take action against the MP CM following the CAG indictment. "I have sent the entire list of scams that have happened in Madhya Pradesh to the prime minister and have urged him to take action against Chouhan," he said.

FAITH IN INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

To a question whether he had faith on the CBI that was investigating the VYAPAM scam following reports that the agency was in the process of filing closure reports in many suspicious deaths associated with the scam, Singh said he had faith in all the investigating agencies and that he was hopeful that Chouhan's role would be investigated.

The chief minister has so far refrained from commenting on the observations made by the CAG on the VYAPAM scam and has instead fielded his trusted lieutenant, state BJP president Nand Kumar Chouhan to battle it out for him.

Nand Kumar Chouhan while defending the chief minister targeted the CAG saying it was indulging in sensationalism. "When the report had been tabled in the Vidhan Sabha, what was the need for the CAG to hold a press conference within hours of tabling the report in the Vidhan Sabha," he asked.

Reacting to state BJP president's sensationalism remark, Ajay Singh said, "55 people associated with the scam have died under mysterious circumstances. Careers of lakhs of students have been jeopardized. A generation has been lost in the scam in which top BJP leaders have gone to jail and the state BJP president is calling it sensationalism. We will take the issue to the people of the state."

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