Bhopal: At least 41 cases have been registered against several senior Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jairam Ramesh, for posting on social media alleged fake news article accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Madhya Pradesh government of demanding 50% commission.
Besides Priyanka and Ramesh, first information reports (FIRs) were registered against state Congress president Kamal Nath, former Union minister Arun Yadav and others on Saturday and Sunday in 41 districts of Madhya Pradesh, which will go to assembly polls later this year.
As per the complaint lodged with the police, a fake letter bearing the name of a person called Gyanendra Awasthi claiming contractors in the state are being asked to pay 50% commission, is circulated on social media. A case has also been registered against Awasthi, whose identity is yet to be ascertained, a senior police officer said.
State’s medical education minister Vishwas Sarang along with BJP legislators and office bearers filed the complaint against the Congress leaders for allegedly trying to “spread lies” and conspiring to malign the state government’s image and BJP by sharing “misleading” social media posts, police said. The cases have been registered with the state police’s Crime Branch.
Crime branch deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Srutakirti Somvanshi said, “An FIR was registered under sections 469 (forging documents) and 500 (punishment for defamation).”
{{/usCountry}}Crime branch deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Srutakirti Somvanshi said, “An FIR was registered under sections 469 (forging documents) and 500 (punishment for defamation).”
{{/usCountry}}FIRs in 40 other districts were registered under same sections.
“We are investigating the matter and trying to find out the reality of the letter from Congress leaders, who posted on social media. The source of the letter is very important in this case,” additional deputy commissioner of police, Indore, Ramsanehi Mishra said.
On Friday, Priyanka alleged on X, formerly twitter, that a union of contractors from Madhya Pradesh has written a letter to the chief justice of state high court complaining their payment is released only after paying 50% commission.
“The corrupt BJP government in Karnataka used to collect 40% commission. In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP has gone ahead by breaking its own record of corruption. People of Karnataka ousted the 40% commission government, now the people of Madhya Pradesh will remove the 50% commission government from power,” she alleged in the post. Ramesh, Nath and Yadav also made similar posts.
BJP state president VD Sharma at a press conference on Saturday said: “Yesterday, the Congress leaders lied by circulating a fake letter, which was written on the name of [an] organisation which doesn’t exist and the contractor and his address was also found false.”
Stressing that the BJP-led government will take strong action against this “cybercrime”, Sharma added: “I have been saying that Digvijay Singh and Kamal Nath are machines of lies within Madhya Pradesh. They made a record of lying and misguided their own party’s national leader. This is the real character of MP Congress.”
Meanwhile, Congress leaders and workers staged protests across the state on Sunday against the cases filed senior party leaders.
“We are not afraid of police action for saying truth. We will tell the truth. If BJP wants to file FIR, then do it. If someone has written the letter, then the high court should investigate it. Why did the BJP show such haste in registering the FIR?” Congress legislator PC Sharma said on Sunday. “…We will continue our protest against scams and lie.”
Reacting to the BJP’s allegations, former chief minister Kamal Nath said, “Hundreds of corruption cases happened in the state. How many cases will they register? They are just trying to create fake agenda and people know it very well.”