Vyapam Scam is a media trial: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Janjivan Bureau
New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday blaming  the media and said that Vyapam Scam is a media trial, nothing else. According to him “Only the media is saying this. My leadership trusts me fully and that is something I am proud of. No one told me that you should request for a CBI probe.
Earlier I did not ask for a CBI probe as court was monitoring the probe…so what was the need? But when a perception was created in the last 2-3 days and an air of suspicion was created that something is wrong somewhere and the deaths are happening due to Vyapam…and a wrong picture was being created, I thought this can be cleared only by a CBI probe,” he told.
Chouhan, who is on a brief visit to the capital on some official work, said he still believes the Special Task Force (STF) probing the case, under the supervision of the Special Investigation Team and overall monitoring of the Madhya Pradesh High Court (HC), did a “good” job adding the truth of the case will “remain the same” irrespective of whatever is being said.
“I will tell you the truth and that is that the facts and the truth of the case are these only what I have been saying and whosoever probes it whether CBI or anyone else….I only first ordered a probe into this entire thing in 2013,” he said.
The Chief Minister said he will request the Supreme Court in a similar manner as he made a plea to the MP High Court that the case should be investigated by the CBI.
“I could not have ordered for a CBI probe straightaway as that would have amounted to contempt of court. We talked to legal experts and then we requested the court (HC). We will request the same to Supreme Court now,” he said.
Asked why his name was being dragged into the scam, Chouhan slammed the Congress party saying it is because he has become an “eyesore” (kaanta) in the eyes of the opposition in the state as he is not allowing them to win any election.
“I defeated Congress in every election in the state. (Congress maidan mein kahin tik nahi payi Shivraj ke saameny) Congress party was no match for me in MP,” he said.
Chouhan said when he took over as the CM he got to know that people could get a job in the state by just getting it written from the CM or someone on a mere “cigarette wrapper” and then he brought in transparent systems by introducing technology driven protocols in these recruitments made in state services and admissions in government institutes.
He said what he saw happening in these recruitments when he took over was nothing short of “organised crime.”
“People who would know politicians or some higher ups would get a job (in the state government). There was no transparency. I brought in transparency,” he said.
“Hence, you see close to 2,000 arrests made by STF in this case alone when I ordered a probe. We made an honest effort to nab the wrongdoers. I exposed this scam,” he said.
Chouhan claimed he was being targeted as Madhya Pradesh was becoming a very progressive state.
“To ruin me, they (opposition) are doing the sin of ruining the states’ image,” he said.
The Chief Minister also expressed apprehensions over the integrity of some whistleblowers in this case.
“I wouldn’t talk about them. I would not take their names. One of them, I am told, has a case pending since 2001 when Digvijay Singh was CM…there are so many cases like these,” he said without elaborating.
He also refused to be drawn into making any comments with regard to the name of Governor Ram Naresh Yadav and his family cropping up in the case.
“I wouldn’t like to talk about someone holding a constitutional and high office,” he said.
Chouhan replied in the negative when he was asked if this was the most difficult time of his career at the helm of the state.
“No, I don’t think so. I am pained by some of the unfortunate deaths which have taken place including that of journalist Akshay Singh. And when I have done nothing wrong what is the difficulty. Falsehood can be there for only a few days,” he said.
Talking about the controversy over the exact reasons of the death of Jhabua-based Namrata Damor, he said she was recruited years before the probe in the scam began.
“However, once there is CBI probe the agency will probe each and every death,” he said.

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Shivraj ready for CBI probe of Vyapam scam