Cong alleges liquor scam in MP, asks PM to order probe if he is not shielding corruption
The Congress on Wednesday attacked the BJP over an alleged "liquor scam" in Madhya Pradesh and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must order an investigation into the corruption if he is not shielding it.
There was no immediate reaction from the BJP or the Madhya Pradesh government to the allegation.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh shared an online post by Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari, in which Patwari posed seven questions to the prime minister on the alleged scam.
In an X post in Hindi, Ramesh said, "Inspired by the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' slogan, BJP state governments are also setting new records in corruption. After the land scam in Madhya Pradesh, a liquor scam has now come to light."
"My colleague Jitu Patwari has posed seven questions to the prime minister regarding this matter. If the prime minister is not shielding this corruption, he must certainly order an investigation," Ramesh said.
He asked if the prime minister would ensure an impartial inquiry.
"The prime minister must surely be aware that the former chief minister of Madhya Pradesh (Shivraj Singh Chouhan), who is currently the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, has also criticised the Madhya Pradesh government," Ramesh said.
Patwari had shared the screenshot of a media report, which claimed that seven serious irregularities have been detected regarding the contracts and transfer of two liquor shops in Bhopal, and the most significant issue concerns an e-FDR (fixed deposit receipt) worth Rs 2,75,53,535, which AU Small Finance Bank refused to issue.
In his post on X in Hindi, Patwari said, "Mr Prime Minister, the liquor contract scam in MP, a fake FDR of 2.75 crore, an alleged bribe of 1 crore! Under whose protection was this entire game being played?"
"Not too many, just 7 questions! But our chief minister is silent! So now @PMOIndia must answer!" he said.
Pointing out that seven major and serious irregularities were found, Patwari questioned the government's delay in action.
"The bank didn't issue the FDR at all, so how was the (Rs) 2.75 crore FDR accepted? Why was security deposited 22 days late accepted against the rules?" he asked, adding, "Who allowed Rs 76 lakh security without a bank guarantee and why?"
"On whose signal was the alleged (Rs) 1 crore bribe game run to secure liquor contracts? When will accountability be fixed for officials who accepted the security despite the forgery?" Patwari asked.
When will action be taken against the other responsible officials in Vallabh Bhavan involved in the corruption, he further asked.
