BHOPAL:Pilloried for several days, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was a relaxed man on Thursday, after the Supreme Court ruled that cases currently handled by the High Court- monitored Special Investigation Team( SIT) should be handed over to the CBI.
Chouhan, who rarely stays out of the state capital had spent the night in Delhi for his political meetings on Wednesday. And the CM also visited the family of deceased TV journalist Akshay Singh before returning to office here. Shortly after the Supreme Court order, Chouhan gave vent to his feelings. “There was a burden on my mind. I met Akshay’s family. I met his mother and sister, I could not watch them. There was a feeling in my mind that the truth should come out. There was agony,” he said welcoming the CBI probe ordered by apex court.
The CM pointed out that it was he who had originally ordered the probe into the sensational scam. “It was a trial by fire for me. It was my attempt to set the system right, probe even past events.” According to Chouhan, the Congress had been carrying out below the belt attacks on him, besides denting the state’s image. “The CBI inquiry was a must to answer them...They suffer from Shivraj(Chouhan)-phobia. They demand by resignation five-six times in a day.”
Thanking the Supreme Court Chouhan added that finally the mystery surrounding the case would be cleared up. “I am grateful. Whatever I have heard of the Supreme Court order. It said ‘we appreciate the stand taken by the Attorney General on behalf of the state government and accept the request (for a CBI probe)’,” he said.
But the trouble for the three-time CM is far from over. The Congress fired up by the developments has called a statewide bandh on July 16. “We welcome the CBI probe, but want it to be monitored by the Supreme Court. Now, there is no justification for Chief Minister to continue in his position. He should resign,” Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly and former Congress Minister Satyadev Katare told Express. One of the whistle-blowers in the Vyapam scam, former MLA Paras Sakhlecha also welcomed the CBI probe hoping that it would bring out the truth that state government had been hiding.