BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh home minister Narottam Mishra on Tuesday alleged that documents seized during income tax raids last year have disclosed that Rs 106 crore unaccounted cash was delivered at Congress headquarters during Kamal Nath government. He said BJP always alleged that the previous Congress government was corrupt and now the government will seek legal advice to take action against those involved in the corrupt practice.
"I always used to say that the Congress government is most corrupt. BJP had also stated that Vallabh Bhawan (state secretariat) was a den of brokers during Congress regime. The truth has come to fore that as chief minister why you (Kamal Nath) always cried for shortage of funds for welfare schemes," Mishra reacted to revelations on IT raids.
"Kamal Nath was spending funds to control malnutrition under the women and child development department, on Rahul Baba. The money for social welfare was going to Gandhi welfare and on the foreign trips. This was the reason why Scindia ji distanced himself from the race (of chief ministership) because there was a bidding going on that who will pay more," Mishra further alleged.
In April 2019, the Income Tax department carried out searches at 52 locations, including in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, linked to close aides of the then MP chief minister Kamal Nath and others on charges of tax evasion and hawala transactions. Officials had stated that the searches led to the detection of a large scale of tax evasion of over Rs 1,350 crore.
Referring to the IT revelations, Mishra said that former CM Kamal Nath has looted the public of Madhya Pradesh like Mahmud Ghazni looted the country. "The way Kamal Nath has looted the hard earned money of the people of Madhya Pradesh, it reminds Mahmud Ghazni, who came from abroad and took away money from India. Kamal Nath ji has committed heinous sins with the people of the state. Why is the Congress silent over the matter? It has now been clear that Kamal Nath ji is corrupt," he alleged.
The home minister also said that the BJP government will take action in the matter. "We will take cognizance of the entire case and consult legal experts. We will also talk to the Income Tax department to get the records and instruct the state's Economic Offence Wing (EOW) to take action in the matter," he said.
The Congress has termed the allegations as false and baseless. "The BJP is making false and baseless allegations. Home minister Narottam Mishra should first come clear on the deal with the 26 MLAs and how the money reached at Bengaluru resorts. He was the in-charge of the drive and also wanted to become the chief minister but, did not succeed," said Congress state media coordinator, Narendra Saluja.