MP CM accused of duplicity in land scam

BHOPAL, April 30: The leader of the Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Vikram Verma, yesterday accused Chief Minister Digvijay Singh of duplicity for having cancelled the lease of the controversial Jabalpur land but refusing to remove the two ministers who had illegally granted it.

Verma wanted to know why the lease had been cancelled if it was “legally granted” to the Motor Parts Dealers’ Association of Jabalpur. And if there was something wrong in the deal, the BJP leader asked, why had the two ministers responsible been not removed from the Cabinet?

Verma went on to allege that Deputy Chief Minister Pyarelal Kanwar and Cooperatives Minister B R Yadav had granted the lease at the behest of Singh himself. That was why the Chief Minister had cancelled the lease as recommended by the Lokayukta but ignored its other suggestion to prosecute the ministers, he reasoned.