A day after claiming that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s son Yuva Kartikey was named in Panama Papers scandal, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi took a U-turn on Tuesday and said he had got confused on Monday while speaking about corruption in BJP
During an informal interaction with some mediapersons on Tuesday, the Congress chief clarified, “BJP mein itna bhrashtachaar hai ki main kal confuse ho gaya tha. Madhya Pradesh ke CM ne Panama nahi kiya unhone to e-tendering aur vyapam scam kiye hain. (There is so much corruption in BJP that I got confused yesterday (Monday). The Madhya Pradesh CM has not done Panama, but he has been involved in e-tendering and Vyapam scams.)
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This came hours after MP CM Chouhan threatened to file a criminal defamation suit against Rahul Gandhi for dragging his son’s name in the Panama Papers scandal.
On Monday, while addressing a rally in poll-bound MP’s Jhabua, Gandhi had said, “Name of the son of CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan surfaced in the Panama Papers, but no action was taken. Even a country like Pakistan punished its former PM when he was named in the Panama Papers.”
On Tuesday, Chouhan took to Twitter and said he would file a defamation suit against Gandhi.
“Mr @RahulGandhi, you have been making patently false allegations of Vyapam to Panama Papers against me and my family. Tomorrow, I am filing a criminal defamation suit for maximum damages against you for frivolous and malafide statements. Let law take its own course now,” tweeted Chouhan.
In another tweet posted in Hindi, the CM said, “For the past many years, Congress has been accusing me and my family. We respect everybody and maintain our dignity but, today Rahul Gandhi crossed his limits when he said my son Yuva Kartikey’s name has come in Panama papers. We are going to file a defamation suit against him tomorrow.”
The Congress leader had further alleged that Madhya Pradesh’s government was pursuing a “dharma of corruption”.
Addressing a rally, Gandhi had also alleged that the Chouhan government was involved in the Vyapam scam and also accused it of financial irregularities while organising Simhastha Kumbh in Ujjain in 2016.
“Nearly 50 persons were killed in the aftermath of Vyapam scam. The state’s education infrastructure has been finished. They talk of dharma but their dharma is corruption. They did not spare even the Kumbh. There was corruption in (Simhastha) Kumbh…the cost was inflated nearly 10 times. There was a demand for CBI inquiry…but even the CBI Director has been removed by Modi,” he said.
Elections to the state Assembly will be held in Madhya Pradesh on November 28. The Congress is seeking to oust the BJP which has been in power in the state for the past 15 years.