SOME CURIOUS facts have come to light about the opening of account from the funds of Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) in the post office of Raisen district. A PIL has been file on the issue in the MP High court.
Seven MPs of Madhya Pradesh, belonging to Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party both, opened their accounts in a post office of Raisen. Curiously, the accounts of some of these senior Members of Parliament, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Kailash Sarang, were opened in one post office on the same day.
Surprisingly, the officers posted at Raisen, at the time of opening of these accounts in Post Office, expressed their ignorance about the issue. If the senior officers posted at Raisen were unaware of opening of the accounts in post office, then how these accounts were opened, ask officers posted in the Secretariat.
Documents in possession of the Hindustan Times indicate that accounts of senior Congress and BJP leaders including Suresh Pachauri, Mebel Rebello, Prafull Maheshwari, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Sunderlal Patwa and Sartaj Singh were opened within couple of days. Transaction of lakhs of rupees was undertaken in these accounts.
While accounts of Shivraj Singh and Kailash Sarang were opened on June 10, 2003, accounts of Patwa, Sartaj Singh, Mebel Rebello, Suresh Pachauri and Prafull Maheshwari were opened on June 7, 2003, with the initial deposit of Rs 500. Even the account numbers allotted to these MPs are also in the same series 355453 to 355463, which indicates that they were opened at the same time.
{{/usCountry}}While accounts of Shivraj Singh and Kailash Sarang were opened on June 10, 2003, accounts of Patwa, Sartaj Singh, Mebel Rebello, Suresh Pachauri and Prafull Maheshwari were opened on June 7, 2003, with the initial deposit of Rs 500. Even the account numbers allotted to these MPs are also in the same series 355453 to 355463, which indicates that they were opened at the same time.
{{/usCountry}}All these saving accounts are having names of two government officers – Raisen Chief Executive Officer Arun Tomar — and accounts officer A L Ahirwar.
When contacted, Arun Tomar, currently posted in the same capacity at Hoshangabad, said, “I am not aware about opening of accounts in post office during my posting at Raisen”.