Over dozen ministers including CM under corruption scanner; MP Cong. releases charge-sheet against BJP
Bhopal, November 14 (Pervez Bari): More than a dozen minister including the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the poll-bound central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh ruled by rightist Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), are under the cloud of corruption and the "Lokayukta" (Vigilance Commissioner) was investigating into corruption charges against them.
Capitalizing on this fact the main Opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh released a 96-page charge-sheet against the State BJP government in which it levelled a total of 139 allegations against it.
Releasing the charge-sheet at a press conference here on Thursday Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, (MPCC), president Suresh Pachouri in the presence of All India Congress Committee general secretary Narayansami, who is the State incharge, expressed surprise that despite being under the scanner of alleged corruption and other charges these ministers have the temerity to face the electorate and are contesting the ensuing elections scheduled for November 27. In all 15 ministers including the Chief Minister are facing corruption charges being probed by the "Lokayukta".
Pachouri said that the state of corruption under the BJP government could well be imagined by the fact that the "Lokayukta" was investigating into corruption charges against the Chief Minister and several of his ministers.
He said that three BJP minister had been removed from their posts after they faced corruption charges and said that an FIR had been filed even against the Chief Minister in the dumper scandal.
The State Congress president said that the charge-sheet was prepared by a 22-member committee under the chairmanship of the Congress Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Ms Jamuna Devi.
Pachouri said that BJP in its manifesto for the December 2003 assembly elections, had made a large number of promises to the people and most of these remained unfulfilled. He said that it had promised to sort out the power situation in the State within 100 days of coming to power but the present state of affairs with regard to electricity was much worse than what it was in 2003.
The State Congress president said that the BJP government was busy in charging the Centre with not giving it enough funds when the reality was that even all the money that was received from the Centre remained unutilized.
The State Congress President said that under the BJP government malnutrition had to tremendous heights, the law and order situation had worsened and a large number of communal incidents had taken place.
Pachouri said that on the one hand the Chief Minister was staging dramas by riding bicycle to the office and on the other the State government had wasted millions of rupees on travel by ministers in planes and helicopters owned by private companies. He said that there was no excuse for this as the State government had its own choppers. (pervezbari@eth.net)

MP Minister & BJP candidate held, sent to judicial custody till Nov. 24 for threatening returning officer
Bhopal, November 11 (Pervez Bari): In the poll-bound central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh ruling rightist Bharatiya Janata Party, (BJP), has been caught on the wrong foot as one of its minister and his associate were arrested on Tuesday and sent to judicial custody till 24 November 2008. They have been for threatening a government officer.
Tukaji Rao Puar, a Cabinet Minister in the Madhya Pradesh Government, and his associate Phoolchand Verma, who is official BJP candidate from Sonkatch constituency, is accused to threatening a lady Returning Officer in Dewas on Saturday after the she refused to cancel a rival candidate's nomination. Puar is Minister of Sports, Youth Welfare and Tourism.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Revenue Minister Kamal Patel, who is contesting on BJP ticket from Harda constituency, has also landed in a soup. His son has been accused of murdering son of a senior Congress leader.
A FIR had been lodged against Tukaji Rao Puar after the Election Commission of India, (ECI), ordered the Madhya Pradesh's chief electoral officer to do so.
According to Dewas police chief Mayank Jain the minister and the BJP candidate have been charged under Sections 353 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for obstructing official work and using abusive language against a government official.
Meanwhile, ECI took a serious view in the matter and transferred Navnit Mohan Kothari, the collector and district returning officer of Dewas, for the delay in taking action in the matter.
The ECI also appreciated Sonkatch Returning Officer (RO) Ms Sanjana Jain who lodged a complaint against Puar alleging the latter for misbehaving with her.
Puar had stormed into the office of Sub Divisional Magistrate Ms Sanjana Jain along with Phoolchand Verma to protest against the nomination of former minister and Congress candidate from the constituency Sajjan Singh Verma. The minister allegedly threw papers at Sanjana Jain after she turned down his demand to reject the nomination papers of Sajjan Singh Verma.
The administration has the video recording of what transpired in the office as evidence.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation, (CBI), probe into the alleged murder of a Congress leader’s son for which BJP Kamal Patel’s son is accused of. The Madhya Pradesh police have named Sudeep Patel, the minister’s son, and his friends for the killing of Gajendra, son of Rajendra Patel, a senior Congress leader. The Jabalpur High Court bench, comprising Justice A.K. Patnaik and Justice Ajit Singh, ordered a CBI inquiry to probe the matter.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee, (MPCC), has urged the state Governor to dismiss the two BJP ministers using his special powers. A memorandum to this effect was submitted to the Governor by MPCC spokesman K. K. Mishra on Tuesday. (pervezbari@eth.net)