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Digvijaya counter-attacks MP govt, PM Modi over EC directions in 'polls cash' case

Names OSD to CM as conducting illegal transactions, demands action against him

Digvijay Singh | PTI [FILE] Digvijay Singh | PTI

Following the Election Commission of India's directive to lodge FIRs against four Madhya Pradesh police officers in the 'polls cash' case, Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh on Saturday launched a counter-attack against Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and PM Narendra Modi, though the latter was not named.

The polls cash case pertains to raids on ex-Chief Minister Kamal Nath's aides in April 2019. Three IPS officers, among others, are alleged to have used black money during the 2019 general elections.

In a press conference, Digvijaya Singh evoked the documents related to the IT-ED raids conducted in 2013 to allege that computer entries on officials of companies raided had shown illegal transfer of Rs 10 crore in two instalments on September 29 and October 1, 2013, to "MP CM" through Neeraj Vashisht, the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Singh also alleged that the same entries showed transfer of Rs 1.5 crore in four instalments on October 30, November 12, 27 and 29, 2013 to "CM Gujarat". “I need not tell you who the Gujarat chief minister [was] in 2013," Singh said without naming Modi.

He further said that if directions of registration of case could be given against police officers in the matter of the IT raid of April 2019 as their names reportedly figure in illegal transactions, the case should be also registered against Neeraj Vashisht on the same grounds. 

“We are alleging that Vashisht conducts illegal money transactions for Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Why else would Chouhan make a special request to Kamal Nath to get Vashisht—a class I officer—on his personal staff as ex-CM? I am also ex-CM but do not get a class I officer in my staff. Why this special love for the officer?” Singh questioned.

Digvijaya's counter-attack came on a day when a section of media reported that names of several Congress leaders, MLAs including those who are now ministers in Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet, were in the list of persons who received illegal money ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and earlier.

'Police officers in e-tender scam probe targeted'

Digvijaya Singh further questioned the fairness and authority of the ECI in the entire 'polls cash' matter. He said that the ECI's jurisdiction was limited to conducting fair elections and it had no authority of directing registration of cases against officers who were not involved in election duty. He said that the action of ECI puts a question mark on its fairness too.

Singh alleged that the officers who were targeted through the IT report forwarded by the ECI to the state government for action were the ones who were involved in the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) probe of the Rs 1000 crore worth e-tender scam that happened in earlier regime of Chouhan government.

“Kamal Nath government had initiated probe into various scams of the erstwhile BJP government like e-tender scam, Vyapam scam, Simhastha scam, and started action on land mafia, sand mafia and other illegal activities. This caused furore in the BJP camp and Shivraj Singh Chouhan himself accepted in Sanwer (in June 2020) that if Kamal Nath government was allowed to continue, they (BJP leaders) will be destroyed. Therefore the Congress government was felled. Kailash Vijayvargiya also recently accepted that PM Narendra Modi was instrumental in the felling of Kamal Nath government. This also proves that the preventive action of the central government against COVID-19 pandemic was delayed to allow BJP government to be established again in MP,” Singh alleged.

The ex-CM further said that none of the leaders or workers of the Congress were even a bit afraid of the action of the BJP government (in context of 'polls cash' case). “Let them conduct any probe. We are ready for it. We will fight it out on the ground, in state assembly, in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and also in the court,” Singh declared.

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