Just ahead of the polling date for the crucial bypolls to 28 seats in Madhya Pradesh, a former minister of Congress alleged that Rajya Sabha member Jyotiraditya Scindia made him an offer of Rs 50 crores and a ministerial post for switching over to the BJP at the height of the defection drama in March.
Ex-forest minister Umang Singhar's claims come at a time when the allegations of betrayal by ex-Congress MLAs and they being 'purchased' by the BJP for 'Rs 35 crores each' by the Congress have become a major issue in the run-up to the bypolls.
In a press conference in Dhar on Saturday, Singhar, who has often courted controversy with his statements and actions, said that he wanted to name Scindia as BJP state president Vishnu Dutt Sharma had dared him to name the person who had made him (Singhar) the offer.
“When the BJP government was formed and (Congress) MLAs were in Bengaluru, I had a talk with Scindia. He said you have no future in Congress. Going by your financial status, we have made an arrangement of Rs 50 crores for you. I (Scindia) have already discussed with BJP. You will also get a ministerial post,” Singhar said.
On Friday, Singhar had made the same allegation without naming Scindia in a campaign meeting in Badnawar of Dhar. To this, BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma had said that Singhar should name the person making the offer. “Since Sharma asked me to name the person who made me the offer, I want to make it clear that the offer came from Scindia ji,” Singhar said.
बीडी शर्मा जी मैंने तो खुलासा कर दिया अब इसका जवाब देगी मध्य प्रदेश की जनता । @BJP4MP @INCIndia @INCMP @RahulGandhi @OfficeOfKNath @vdsharmabjp pic.twitter.com/AK3s1WxQqA
— Umang Singhar (@UmangSinghar) October 31, 2020
The ex-minister added that he, however, told Scindia that their ways were different and that his family always did politics of truth. “I am the nephew of (ex-leader of opposition) late Jamuna Devi who never digressed from politics of truth. This is my culture, and I will also work in the same way for the Congress party. I do not do politics of opportunism and betrayal,” Singhar added.
The ex-minister also alleged that many other Congress MLAs also received such offers (in March) and now with the winds blowing towards Congress, the BJP is rattled and has started its 'plan B' and again started attempts to horse trade the MLAs.
Reacting to the allegations, the chief spokesperson of BJP Deepak Vijayvarigya said that since losing power, all the Congress leaders have lost their balance and are indulging in baseless talks. “Rather than talking on issues they are now attempting to malign the image of leaders. This is a very deplorable attitude in a democratic set-up,” he said.
Singhar had hit headlines last year when, as the forest minister, he had made allegations of illegal mining on ex-chief minister and Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh and had also written to Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi in the matter. Scindia had raked up this issue on Thursday during a campaign meeting in Dhar and Singhar's allegations against Scindia came right after this.
