Congress Files Complaint Against Madhya Pradesh Minister Over Land "Gift"

The opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh has filed a complaint against Revenue Minister Govind Singh Rajput over allegedly taking a "gift" of 50-acre land in Sagar district from his brother-in-laws earlier this year. The Singh brothers purchased the land in September 2021, just months before it was "gifted" to the minister.

The Congress has filed the complaint with the 'benami properties prohibition wing' of the income tax department. The alleged irregularities in the transaction has robbed the state of several crores, the Congress said, alleging it was just a process to help the minister launder black money.

NDTV found that the land, when purchased by the Singh brothers, was described in documents as a non-irrigable wasteland. But after the minister got it, it was classified as irrigable farmland.

The Congress alleged the process was meant to evade stamp duty. With the land named irrigable farmland, the minister and his family received benefits under the state's 1959 law on land revenue.

Under Section 58(3) of the Land Revenue Act, the minister did not have to pay further revenue.

Congress media cell chief KK Mishra filed the complaint against the minister. The Congress complaint alleged Mr Rajput "amassed massive amounts of wealth illegally from 2020-2022", with which he has purchased immovable properties in the name of several 'benami' people in different parts of the state.

An investigation of stamp duty evasion should also be conducted against him, Mr Mishra said.

Mr Rajput did not respond to NDTV's queries on the issue.

Former minister and Congress MLA Jeetu Patwari brought up the issue in the state assembly on Wednesday last during the debate on the no-confidence motion against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.

"This clearly shows the Chief Minister has given full freedom to people like this minister to indulge in loot, just to form, run and save his government...The Chief Minister should answer what is the source of the money, else he should resign," Mr Patwari told NDTV.

"The nature of the land also changed at least twice within a year.  Anyone can smell major fraud...The Chief Minister needs to get the matter investigated at highest level and the concerned minister should resign," said former law minister and Congress MLA PC Sharma.

Not just the Congress, former BJP leader Rajkumar Dhanaura said the minister's brother-in-laws are not financially strong enough to buy such a vast tract of land. "It is the minister's black money which has been invested to buy the land -- first in the name of his brother-in-law. A year later, the land was transferred to the minister and his relatives through donation," said the leader, who was expelled by the BJP a couple of months ago for opening a front against Mr Rajput.