Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Raman Singh in the line of fire; CMs in mess for Vyapam, rice scams

New Delhi: After the alleged involvement of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje in Lalitgate, two more Chief Ministers, Mr Shivraj Singh Chauhan (Madhya Pradesh) and Mr Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh), are in serious trouble. Speculation is rife that both could be in line to face the axe in the near future.

While Mr Chouhan was under a cloud over the multicrore Vyapam scam, Mr Raman Singh has become a target for the Rs 36,000-crore rice scam. Both Chief Ministers are reportedly spending a “lot of time” in Delhi meeting some top and influential leaders in the Modi government. The BJP top brass is now waiting for the Bihar polls before swinging into action and taking decisive steps, sources said.

Incidentally, the Vyapam scam is emerging as the BJP’s, and the Centre’s, main concern. With the international media rushing to Madhya Pradesh and the matter reaching the Supreme Court, BJP spin doctors are now working vigorously to fine-tune strategy. This massive admission and recruitment scam involving top politicians and bureaucrats has been slowly and steadily coming to light over the last two years.

The SIT chief, Justice Chandresh Bhushan (Retd), probing the scam, on Saturday indicated that action could be taken against Madhya Pradesh governor Naresh Yadav “once he retires”. He told the media on Saturday, “The High Court has already said that you can investigate when the governor retires. He cannot be arrested now, but the probe is not being affected in any way. The special task force intends to present challans by the end of July.”

The governor’s tenure ends in June 2016.After more than 40 mysterious deaths of people linked to the Vyapam scam, two STF officers investigating the high-profile Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board scam have claimed to have received threats.