BHOPAL: Four days before voting in the MP assembly elections, a second alleged video of Devendra Singh Tomar-son of Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar -surfaced on social media on Monday, prompting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to ask why ED and CBI aren't investigating him yet. The BJP claimed that the video is fake and called it a conspiracy, but Congress demands Tomar's resignation and his son to be arrested.
In the video, Devendra is purportedly seen speaking with a man on video call about a "deal of Rs 500 crore".
Tomar senior is one of the three Union ministers fielded by the BJP high-command in the polls. He is also considered a potential CM face.
A week ago, a video had gone viral where Devendra was purportedly talking about financial deals of Rs 100 crore, Rs 18 crore and Rs 21 crore respectively. Devendra has filed a police complaint in Morena, alleging that the video is fake and he is the victim of a conspiracy. After the second video went viral on Monday, former AICC president Rahul Gandhi, who was in Bhopal for a road show, said, "Have you seen the video? Whose money was he talking about? He was saying Rs 10 crore will go there, another Rs 50 crore will go somewhere else and yet another Rs 100 crore in some other place. Put that money in one account and the other in another account. Whose money was he talking about?"
Rahul argued, "He (Devendra Tomar) was speaking about your money, the money belonging to the people of Madhya Pradesh. It is money from your pocket. This kind of activity is done by their (BJP) ministers. The chief minister here and all of them are involved in such activities. Devendra Tomar's video, the Mahakal Corridor scam, the funds for midday meals, the biggest of them all is the Vyapam scam and yet there was no inquiry. In the patwari recruitment scam, there has been no inquiry. MBBS seats are sold and yet there is no inquiry. The ministers and their families and sons are involved in corruption cases one after another. But no action is taken."
Congress national spokesperson Ragini Nayak demanded the Election Commission take cognisance and hold an investigation. "We also demand a judicial probe by a retired SC judge. Narendra Singh Tomar should be removed from the cabinet till the investigation is being conducted," Nayak said.
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