Cong boycotts Guv's address; demands resignation on MPPEB scam

Bhopal, Feb 18: The opposition Congress today boycotted the customary address by Governor Ram Naresh Yadav on the opening day of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly's budget session and demanded his resignation over his son's alleged involvement in the MPPEB scam.

As the Governor arrived in the House for delivering his customary address and began reading from the written speech, Congress' Ram Niwas Rawat and others raised the issue in which his son Shailesh Yadav was allegedly involved.

"The Governor is a direct accused in the case and he should resign from his post," Rawat said.

The Congress members created uproar in the House on the issue and pressed for his resignation. When the Governor did not pay any attention to their demand, they staged a walkout. Soon after, the Governor ended his speech by reading few lines from the last para of his 47-page long text and went back to Raj Bhawan.

The State's Industries Minister Kailash Vijaywargiya and Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Gopal Bhargava termed the Opposition attitude as "very shameful".

"The Congress members have disrespected the Governor which has never happened in the history of Madhya Pradesh assembly," Bhargava said.

The Governor did not respond to media's query whether he is putting his papers on the issue or not. Later, BJP's Archana Chitnis proposed the thanksgiving motion on the Governor's address which was supported by BJP's Rameshwar Sharma following which Speaker Sitasharan Sharma adjourned the House for the day.

Talking to reporters in the Assembly's entrance, Leader of the Opposition Satyadev Katare said since both Governor and the State Chief Minister are allegedly accused in the case, they should resign from their posts immediately.

The Congress will chalk out its future strategy in the matter later in the day.

The Special Task Force (STF) which is probing the MPPEB scam has accused Shailesh in the contractual teacher recruitment scam in the supplementary chargesheet filed in the court.

A string of Congress leaders, including party's General Secretary Digvijay Singh, had alleged in a press conference on Monday that the original excel sheet seized from a computer in connection with the scam was tampered with to "shield" the CM and his family.

PTI