Congress reiterates demand for SC-monitored Vyapam probe

New Delhi, July 6: The Congress on Monday reiterated its demand for a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe into the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh and asked Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan to resign immediately for "misleading" the scam probe.

"The chief minister is the kingpin of the Vyapam scam. Any probe into it will essentially require that he is thoroughly interrogated and investigated," Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said.

"This is only possible if he steps down as chief minister. Therefore, the Congress demands that he resign immediately and submit himself to an independent inquiry," he added.

"Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday demanded a neutral investigation in the Vyapam deaths, including that of a journalist. Is Chauhan refusing to listen to his own government," Surjewala asked.

"Does his reluctance reflect his jitteriness and an attempt to stifle the truth and divert the investigation," he asked.

The scam is related to irregularities in admission and recruitment conducted by Madhya Pradesh Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal (Vyapam). More than 40 people associated with the scam have lost their lives, including a TV journalist covering it.

"Chauhan is misleading the nation and telling a lie. He is again hoodwinking the nation. Why was the chief minister not able to stop this sinister scam between 2009 and 2013," the Congress leader remarked.

Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who filed a PIL in the Supreme Court to seek an independent probe into the scam, tweeted: "Shivraj Singh Chouhan should be sacked and an impartial probe should be done in the Vyapam scam."

IANS