A day after BJP president Amit Shah’s visit to Madhya Pradesh, the party kept up the damage control exercise today by organising press conferences in cities across the State to defend Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is facing the heat of the Vyapam scam.

All the leaders maintained that there is no need for Chouhan to resign, as it was he who exposed the massive scandal which has been rocking Madhya Pradesh.

Two Union Ministers — Narendra Singh Tomar and Prakash Javadekar — briefed reporters in Bhopal and Indore respectively. Similarly, BJP vice-presidents Prabhat Jha and Shyam Jagu, senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Vikram Verma, BJP State chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan and MP Energy Minister Rajendra Shukla addressed press meets in Gwalior, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Sagar and Rewa respectively.

The BJP leaders also claimed that Chouhan’s wife Sadhana had nothing to do with the scam, rubbishing Congress allegations that she too was involved in fraudulent recruitment of constables in the State Transport Department.

In Bhopal, Tomar said “no one from Gondia in Maharashtra was selected as alleged by the Congress.” Sadhana hails from Gondia.

Given guidelines

According to a BJP source, all those who addressed the press meets had been given guidelines and “tutored by think tanks” to clear the air over allegations that Chouhan and Sadhana were involved in the scam.

The BJP State unit is also planning to organise a Swabhiman Yatra (pride march) to be led by Chouhan over the Vyapam scam in August, the date for which is yet to be finalised, the source added.

During the campaign, BJP leaders and functionaries will reach out to the masses, saying that Chouhan has been the whistleblower of the Vyapam scam. They will take on the Congress by accusing it of spreading “false propaganda” against the ruling party and the Chief Minister.

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