Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is under fire from opposition Congress in connection with the alleged MPPEB scam, today told the state Assembly that he will not only quit politics "but will take sanyas" if allegations being levelled by opposition against him and his family are proved.
"I will not only quit politics but also will renounce this world if even a single allegation is proved right against me and my family," Chouhan said during debate on an adjournment motion moved by Congress for discussing the alleged Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board scam, involving the "high and mighty."
As the chief minister started responding to the charges levelled by the opposition earlier in the day and explained the reasons why the government entrusted the MPPEB with the responsibility to conduct the recruitment exams, Congress members created a ruckus by raising slogans and later staged a sit-in in the well of the House.
Congress members got enraged when Chouhan took out a notesheet purportedly written by a former chief minister belonging to Congress.
"Then Congress chief minister had turned a private school into a government one in Tiwni village in Rewa district where the members of a senior Congress leader were already employed on various posts including teaching," Chouhan said.
Though Chouhan mentioned the name of the then chief minister, it was expunged by the Speaker. Chouhan said his wife had to suffer despite being innocent because of the "baseless" allegations levelled against her by the opposition in connection with MPPEB issue.
"She underwent a lot of pain because of these baseless allegations only because she is the wife of chief minister. They (opposition) were unable to prove even a single charge against me," he said.
Explaining the reason why his government entrusted the responsibility to conduct exams for government posts to MPPEB, Chouhan said, "A former chief minister used to write on a piece of paper that 'all rules should be relaxed for appointing a particular person to the particular post..'".
At this moment, Congress members became agitated and squatted in the Well raising slogans demanding a CBI probe into the "MPPEB scam" and did not let Chouhan complete his speech.
When the Congress members did not heed to Speaker Sitasharan Sharma's plea to go back to their seats, the Chair adjourned the House for 15 minutes.
As the House re-assembled, Congress members again created a din and continued with the sit-in following which the Speaker adjourned the House for the day after ruling that the chief minister will continue his speech tomorrow.
Leader of the Opposition Satyadev Katare later told reporters that Congress will not budge until the chief minister agrees for a CBI probe into the scam.
On the references made by Chouhan to two Congress chief ministers, Katare said, "Let the government order a CBI inquiry and probe these issues as well."
Making light of Chouhan's announcement to take 'sanyas', Katare said, "Earlier also Chouhan had made a vow to not marry and stood in river Narmada, but later he got married."
Chouhan later told reporters that all allegations levelled against him were baseless and misleading. "I will reply to each one of them on the floor of the House," he said.
He criticised the opposition for "running away" from the debate on the issues raised by them without listening to him.
"It has become a habit of Congress and since they don't have any issue against government, they are targetting me only to malign my image," Chouhan said.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, July 2, 2014, 22:10
