Following the deaths of several accused, victims and witnesses in the Madhya Pradesh Vyavasaik Pariksha Mandal (Vyapam) scam, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh has approached the Supreme Court, seeking a CBI investigation into the case monitored by the apex court.
He told reporters he has filed a petition in the Supreme Court at a time when the scandal is becoming murkier by the day with at least 24 accused and witnesses having died so far under mysterious circumstances. Some reports have claimed that there have been 40 such deaths.
Today, a veterinary student related to the Vyapam scam was reportedly found dead under mysterious circumstances in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh. The alleged suspect was pursuing a post-graduation course in animal husbandry from Mhow Veterinary College.
The Congress seems to be mulling both legal and political ways to attack the BJP on a number of issues, including the “Lalitgate” controversy.
Singh told reporters here on Tuesday that the system of holding examinations for jobs in various government services has been compromised by the Madhya Pradesh government systematically. The developments on the issue have reached such an extent that if somebody wants to attempt suicide, then he should become a Vyapam scam witness, he remarked.
The Congress is concerned about the growing number of deaths of people who are connected with the scam and has decided to go to the Supreme Court, he said.
The external whistleblowers in the case have already filed a public interest litigation (PIL) on the issue. “This is the biggest scam ever and some powerful people are involved in it. I believe the Supreme Court should look into the matter,” he added.
Singh further said in the petition that the investigating agencies of Madhya Pradesh have tampered with the electronic evidences and submitted false and fabricated Excel sheets in the charge sheets filed before the courts.
‘Criminal nexus’Meanwhile, on the issue of the ownership of Dholpur palace, the Congress continued to attack Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and her son Dushyant Singh. When asked about the defence of the BJP that the documents submitted by the Congress were wrong, party leader Jairam Ramesh said here today the basic document is of 1949, which is about the instrument of accession.
“In 1949, Maharaja Udai Bhan Singh had admitted in a list of properties that this is a State property and he is allowed to live there. The document of 1958 is all null and void and this is being confirmed in 1955 and reconfirmed in 1971, 1977, 1980 and 2010,” Ramesh said. He had alleged on Monday that Lalit Modi and Raje’s family are running a high-end hotel business on government-owned property, including the Dholpur palace and the surrounding land.
The issue today before the country is not the internal politics of the Dholpur royal family, Ramesh said and added that the real issue is the criminal nexus between Lalit Modi and Raje’s family. “We do not want to get into personal issues but if personal issues impinge on public decisions, then it is our political duty to bring this to light,” he said.
The BJP today maintained that the Dholpur palace belongs to Dushyant.
‘Baseless allegations’State BJP chief Ashok Parnami, in a press conference in Jaipur, showed some documents, including some court and family settlement papers, to say that the palace belongs to Dushyant.
“The Congress is unnecessarily levelling baseless allegations and indulging in petty politics,” he said. “We are giving replies based on documentary proof. Anyone is free to verify the documents...you can get the documents through RTI.”
If the Congress found something wrong in the deal, why did it not initiate any probe when it was in power both at the Centre and the State, he wondered.