New Delhi: AICC Media and Publicity Chairman Pawan Khera and Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Jitu Patwari on Wednesday strongly criticised Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and his family over alleged large-scale land purchases in areas linked to upcoming development projects, including the Simhastha (Mahakumbh) Kumbh in Ujjain.
Addressing mediapersons at the AICC office on 24 Akbar Road here, the leaders alleged that the issue went beyond local or even national boundaries and was linked to people’s faith, comparing it to alleged irregularities in Ayodhya temple donations.
Pawan Khera said devotees save money painstakingly to visit pilgrimage centres and donate to temple funds. “To loot such money is like stabbing faith in the back,” he remarked. He alleged that after Mohan Yadav became Chief Minister on December 13, 2023, his family purchased 111 acres out of 168 acres in the Mahakumbh zone. Earlier purchases were also made when the CM held positions as Education Minister and Tourism Board Chairman, giving him inside knowledge of master plans, road alignments and corridors. “This is insider trading,” Pawan Khera charged.
He also flagged a fresh allegation that land worth ₹500 crore was given to a trust for just one rupee, with the chief trustee being the CM’s cultural advisor, Ram Sharma.
Pawan Khera criticised the BJP’s response — which he said shifted the narrative to the CM’s OBC caste instead of addressing the allegations — and accused major news agencies of maintaining “complete silence” on primetime despite the seriousness of the claims.
Jitu Patwari listed five specific questions posed to the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi more than 30 hours earlier that remain unanswered:
Did the CM’s family purchase land after he became Chief Minister?
Is it true that large portions of this land lie in areas later identified for roads, corridors and government development schemes?
Will the government make project timelines public?
Will an independent judicial inquiry be ordered, as demanded by Congress?
Will the CM issue a white paper on all land purchased by his family after 2023?
Jitu Patwari also alleged ₹1,000 crore corruption in the state’s transfer industry over 20 days, exposed through a sting operation. He said the BJP’s reply — claiming Congress could not “digest” an OBC Chief Minister’s development work — was a deflection from the core issue of alleged corruption.
Responding to journalists’ questions, Jitu Patwari said Congress had consistently raised the issue on the ground, including a large farmers’ rally in the CM’s constituency, and was not “soft” on the matter. He demanded that the Chief Minister resign or be dismissed pending a thorough probe, citing precedents within the BJP itself. Pawan Khera indicated further steps, including possibly approaching the Supreme Court, but urged patience to allow more facts to emerge.
The leaders called for a judicial inquiry headed by a sitting Supreme Court judge and full public disclosure of documents to protect Madhya Pradesh’s image and its potential as the “heart of the country” for investment and growth.