The Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Friday targeted Urban Administration and Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya for his alleged involvement in a scam in the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) when he was Indore Mayor in 2000-2005.
While talking to media persons here, State Congress Chief Spokesman KK Mishra said, “There was a scam to the tune of Rs33 crore in IGNOAPS. The Minister changed the rules in the year 2000 and ordered to distribute funds on minimum commission. Ironically, despite such violation of rules and corrupt practices, Vijayvargiya became the Minister of the same department.”
Mishra said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan talked about their crusade against corruption but Vijayvargiya was made Minister even as many as seven corruption cases are pending against him.
Meanwhile, a one-man inquiry committee was constituted headed by Justice NK Jain on February 8, 2008 to probe the pension scam and the Jain Committee submitted its report in three months. Mishra alleged that the state regime had tampered with the Jain Commission report and did not make the report public.
The Congress drew attention of the Governor regarding the scam but he did not take any action. “We are sorry to say that the Congress is yet to receive justice from the Raj Bhavan,” Mishra pointed out. He said the Congress decided to raise the issue in the coming Budget Session of the State Assembly beginning on June 30.