Congress moved court in Vyapam case to mislead people ahead of Madhya Pradesh elections, alleges BJP

Bhopal: The ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh Saturday accused the Congress of trying to mislead the people on the Vyapam issue. The saffron party alleged that the Opposition was scared of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s “popularity” and hence moved the court ahead of the state Assembly polls. The BJP’s reaction came hours after a local court recorded the statement of Congress leader Digvijay Singh in connection with a private complaint filed against chief minister Chouhan, Union minister Uma Bharti and five others in the Vyapam scam. “Congress doesn’t believe in any investigating agency. They questioned the police investigation into the Vyapam case. Hence, the probe was handed over to the STF (special task force). But since it was not satisfied, a high court-monitored SIT investigated the charges,” MP’s Public Relations minister Narottam Mishra told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_5240901” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. News18[/caption] “The investigation was later handed over to the CBI, but the Congress is still not satisfied,” he said. Mishra said although the CBI did not find any tampering with the electronic evidence in the Vyapam case, the Congress continued to mislead on the issue. Raising a question mark over the timing of Digvijay Singh’s petition in the local court, Mishra said, “Instead of going to the public, the Congress moved the court ahead of the state Assembly elections to mislead the people.” “The case was discussed in the local court, the high court as well as the apex court, yet the Congress leaders did not produce the evidence. Now, they have moved the court ahead of the election,” he said. In his plea filed in the local court, Digvijay Singh has sought criminal prosecution of Chouhan, Bharti and five others in the Vyapam scam. “Digvijay Singh has submitted an electronic evidence copy that states the name of Chouhan 48 times in a Vyapam scam investigation document,” Congress leader Kapil Sibal, who appeared as Digvijay’s lawyer, told reporters after appearing in the court in the afternoon. He alleged that earlier the STF and now the CBI were trying to shield people, especially Chouhan, in the Vyapam scam. Sibal alleged that Chouhan was the root of the scam. “With Digvijay Singh’s private complaint, we are going to prove Chouhan’s involvement in the scam,” he said. The Vyapam scam refers to irregularities in exams held by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, also called Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal or Vyapam, for admission in professional courses and state services.