Congress campaign lacks punch

Not only is the Congress leadership divided, engaging in mudslinging, it is also handicapped by its leaders racing to take credit for highlighting the scam.

July 21, 2015 01:46 am | Updated November 17, 2021 01:52 am IST

Shivraj Singh Chouhan has succeeded in releasing the pressure on him for now.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan has succeeded in releasing the pressure on him for now.

Despite the magnitude of the Vyapam scam, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan appears to be safe for now, owing largely to the infighting within the opposition Congress.

While they put on a triumphant face in public, senior Congress leaders admit in private that they have not been able to take full advantage of the crisis. There is a strong perception in the party that some of its senior leaders are “compromised” and bound by personal favours extended by the BJP government. “Shivraj has got away cheaply. We [Congress leaders] could not raise the issue earlier as some of us are also a part of it,” a senior Congress leader said bluntly.

Not only is the Congress leadership divided, engaging in mudslinging, it is also handicapped by its leaders racing to take credit for highlighting the scam. Much of the State leaders’ heartburn stems from former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh’s attempts to ‘hijack’ the campaign.

Barring a few stray comments by leaders such as Babular Gaur, Mr. Chouhan has the full backing of the BJP and RSS. In such a scenario, the BJP feels confident that the Congress campaign will not sustain itself or result in electoral gains.

BJP State president Nandkumar Singh Chauhan said the surfacing of the Chief Minister’s name in the scam was part of a “devious conspiracy” to defame him. “The Congress knows how popular the CM is. They hope to earn some brownie points in the State by targeting him and damaging his image. But the lies have no footing and they will soon be exposed,” Mr. Chauhan said.

BJP leaders, however, admit that Mr. Chouhan’s “perfect” image, carefully cultivated over the past decade, has been sullied. But they also feel they have done well to control the damage, matching every manoeuvre of the Congress.

Mr. Chouhan, by projecting himself as the whistleblower and requesting a CBI inquiry, has succeeded in releasing the pressure on him for now. He is set to embark on a Swabhimaan Yatra, during which he will counter the allegations against him and recall his achievements as CM. Also, on July 23, on his completing 10 years in office — the first BJP Chief Minister in Madhya Pradesh to accomplish this feat — Mr. Chouhan will hold a huge rally in a village Bhabra in Jhabua district, famous as the birthplace of freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad. The party’s instructions to the cadres and spokespersons are clear: “Shield the CM’s image and project him as the whistleblower.”

Other than an occasional clamour for Mr. Chouhan’s resignation, mainly through press conferences, the Congress has little to show for a plan of action. It has so far only cashed in on the revelations made by the whistleblowers. Not only has the Congress been unsuccessful in mobilising student support in highlighting Vyapam, it has repeatedly failed to make the scam an election issue. Curiously, the Congress even removed Vyapam from its manifesto in the recent civic elections.

48deaths

Noting that it will not allow even one more death, the Supreme Court transferred all criminal and death cases linked to the Vyapam scam to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a “fair and impartial” probe.

The Supreme Court has ordered a CBI probe into the multi-crore cash-for-jobs scam in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board that has resulted in unexplained deaths of key accused and witnesses.

A Trail of graft and gore

  • 1982: Vyaysayik Pareeksha Mandel (Vyapam) set up to conduct entrance examinations for pro-fessional courses
  • 2008: Recruitment tests for government Jobs also included
  • July 5, 2009: Widespread irregularities in recruitments come to light
  • 2009: Medical exam paper leaked; first complaint filed
  • December, 2009: Chief Minister forms panel to probe scam
  • Jul 7, 2013: Police register FIR, arrest 20 impersonators
  • Jul 16, 2013: Jag-dish Sagar, kingpin of scam, arrested
  • Aug 26, 2013: STF takes over probe, 55 FIRs registered
  • Oct 9, 2013: Admissions of 345 examinees cancelled
  • Dec 18,2013: Ex-Higher Education Minister Laxmikant Sharma booked
  • Jun 29, 2015: SIT says 23 people related to scam died due to 'Unnatural causes"; unofficial count puts figure at 46
  • July 7: Chouhan agrees to CBI probe

The Whistleblowers

Ashish Chaturvedi, 26-year-old social activist from Gwalior, claims CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan is a key player in the scam.

Prashant Pandey, cyber expert roped in by the STF, retrieved key Vyapam files.

Anand Rai, Indore-based RTI activist flied a PIL which led to the probe.

Vyapam scam

  • » The Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh dates back to 2007, with investigations in the case starting after some details came to light in 2013.
  • » It has been alleged by the Congress as well as several social activists that the officials took money to compromise the examination and recruitment.
  • »Editorials:>The Vyapam scam trail
  • >The tentacles of Vyapam
  • » CBI probe is just a start, says Digvijaya Singh in an >interview to The Hindu
  • » Congress leaders openly accused MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his wife of being involved in the scam. Later, they submitted the "original evidence".
  • » Earlier this year, Chief Minister Chouhan claimed in a >letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi that the developments regarding the Vyapam scam provided proof of his honesty as he was the one who ordered a probe into it.
  • »> Here are five things you need to know about Vyapam Scam.
  • >

    SC transfers Vyapam investigation to CBI

    The whistleblowers are Ashish Chaturvedi, Dr Anand Rai and Prashant Pandey seeking an apex court-monitored CBI probe into the scam.

  • >

    Madhya Pradesh Governor may be on way out

    The indications came after Home Minister Rajnath Singh met President Pranab Mukherjee on June 09.

  • >

    MP lawyer Adarsh Munni Trivedi falls ill

    The chairman of MP HC Bar Association, who had in the past represented petitioners seeking a CBI probe in the scam, took ill and his family suspected an attempt at food poisoning.

  • >

    Medico Namrata Damor's death

    The police initially filed a case of murder, but while filing a closure report in 2014, termed it a suicide.

  • >

    Spate of deaths raises disturbing questions

    The Madhya Pradesh govt. rejected a demand for CBI probe.

  • >

    Another Vyapam scam accused dies in MP

    Narendra Singh Tomar died under mysterious circumstances in an Indore jail.

  • >

    Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav's involvement

    The Special Task Force probed the alleged involvement of Governor Ram Naresh Yadav. But later, the >FIR against him was quahed.

High-profile deaths

> Shailesh Yadav

He was found dead at his home in Lucknow in March. He was accused of taking money to help candidates from Bhind clear the exam for contractual teachers.

> D.K. Sakalley

He was the Dean of Jabalpur Medical College. He was also allegedly linked to the scam; he died of burns under suspicious circumstances.

> Akshay Singh

He worked for TV Today group, died soon after interviewing parents of a girl who was an accused and had herself died in suspicious circumstances.

> Arun Sharma

He was also the Dean of the Jabalpur-based College. He was probing fake examinees in the Scam. He was found dead in a hotel in Delhi.

>

For full coverage of Vyapam Scam click here

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