NAGPUR: The Congress, the main opposition party in Chhattisgarh, has demanded the resignation of State Cabinet Minister Brijmohan Agarwal over allegations of acquiring forest land and using it for commercial propose.
Mr.Agarwal, a powerful politician who is also considered no. 2 in the Raman Singh Cabinet, has denied the media reports of allegations against him and his family.
“The land in question was bought legally from a farmer, and the farmer had that land registered in his name. I had also mentioned that land in my election affidavit. It (the allegations) is a part of a conspiracy against me,” said Mr.Agarwal, who is a BJP MLA from the Raipur South constituency and the Minister for agriculture, water resources, animal husbandry, fisheries and religious trusts and endowments.
The BJP has also backed the minister.
“Mr.Agarwal has disclosed the details about the property in question. He bought the land after checking all the legal documents. When he bought it from a farmer, the farmer had that land registered in his name in the government records. As far as the issue of it being donated land, I think this could be a result of some procedural fault. There is no issue of fraud or illegal possession,” Chhattisgarh BJP spokesperson Sanjay Shrivastava told The Hindu .
Chhattisgarh Congress president Bhupesh Baghel, however, demanded a high-level inquiry into the allegations against Mr. Agarwal and demanded his resignation. The leader of opposition in Chhattisgarh Assembly, T.S. Singh Deo, also wrote to Chief Minister Raman Singh, demanding a probe by an independent agency.
Mr. Singh said that he had asked for “detailed information” about the issue from the Chief Secretary.
The issue is likely to rock the monsoon session of the Assembly, scheduled to begin next month.
Mr. Agarwal is considered the only mass leader in the ruling party in Chhattisgarh and an aspiring candidate for the CM’s post. Sources close to the minister did not rule out “an insider’s role” in the controversy, as Assembly elections are due in Chhattisgarh next year.
