Exam scam: United Congress comes out with specific charges against Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Bhopal: Can the ruling BJP dismiss the fresh charges over Professional Examination Board scam in Madhya Pradesh as lightly as it has been doing in the past? This time around the Congress has come armed with specific charges backed by an affidavit to suggest Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s direct involvement in the scam that runs into several hundred crore rupees and ruined the careers of thousands of students. The government and the ruling party has resorted to stock replies while trying to hide behind the massive mandate it got in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The State Health minister and government spokesperson Narottam Mishra has said the allegations are baseless and without any substance. [caption id=“attachment_2103005” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Congress leaders at the press conference on Monday. PTI image[/caption] “We have full faith in the SIT, STF, and the Courts. If necessary, we will probe these charges. The Congress keeps coming up with such charges on the eve of the assembly sessions. It is a sign of despair after the party lost the people’s mandate," the minister said. When asked why the government was not announcing the prosecution of Digvijaya Singh, the minister said nonchalantly, “The matter is being studied.” Party spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao was even more superficial. He said Digvijay Singh’s credibility was low and the charges could not be believed. The Congress has raked up the issue only a couple of days before the assembly session begins. This time the party presented a rare unity among the different factions. Congress general secretary and former chief minister Digvijaya Singh was accompanied by former Union ministers Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia apart from legal eagle KTS Tulsi at a press conference. Singh said he has filed a statement under oath before the Justice Chandresh Bhushan-led Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the high court to monitor the scam. The Congress team claimed the original excel sheets of the PEB results were manipulated. The party also said the original hard disc of PEB controller Nitin Mohindra’s computer which contained the most crucial electronic evidence in the case - an excel sheet - was tampered with by investigating officers. Singh challenged the chief minister to prosecute him if his affidavit is wrong; or resign if they were right. The entire government machinery is being misused to shield the chief minister and his family while implicating senior party colleagues like Uma Bharti and even the Governor and his family members, they alleged. The government is also trying to save RSS leaders who names have appeared in the scam, the Congress team said. Uma Bharti had also earlier asked for a CBI inquiry into the matter. “The SIT had admitted that the hard disk recovered in connection with the MPPEB scam was cloned,” Tulsi said. Singh said Chouhan’s name appeared 48 times in the documents that recommended the candidates giving them an unfair advantage in the results. It was changed to “minister” at 21 places and to Uma Bharti 12 times, he alleged. “It is not just the biggest scam of MP, but injustice has been done with youth of the state,” Kamal Nath said. Nath also demanded that Chouhan should resign so that an impartial probe can be carried out in the scam. “Names of prominent people involved in the scam were ‘deleted’ from the sheet to give them a safe passage,” said Singh. STF’s weak investigations will crash during trials and there won’t be any convictions. They have not even confiscated the server of MPPEB to strengthen its evidence, he said “STF took young students to jail while giving a clean chit to high and mighty involved. I openly say that several names have been deleted from Mohindra’s excel sheet, which is a cognisable offence. I would take STF officers to jail if necessary,” said Singh. “The scam investigations will fall flat during its hearing in the court. STF officers whose confidential report (CR) is prepared by chief minister will never go against himr. This case has to be investigated by CBI. If SIT fails to address my objections, I will move supreme court again,” Singh added. Justice Bushan had asked Singh to submit proof to substantiate his claims against STF’s investigation. Singh had written to SIT chairman, claiming the STF found scapegoats to save big fish in scam. Singh had sent a nine-page letter of representation to chairman of the SIT, finding fault with STF investigation after Supreme Court refused to order a CBI inquiry into the alleged scam. The documents presented before the SIT include the copies of excels sheets that have been vetted and settled by the former Union minister and party counsel Kapil Sibal.