Problems for the newly elected Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh have been spiraling since it took charge after the marginal victory in 2018 assembly polls. After mismanagement in urea supply and failure to fulfill poll promises, Income tax department’s raids on close aides, including Kamal Nath’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD), has further added to the problems of the Senior Congress Leader. Income tax department has also recovered huge amount of cash in these raids.
Pictures provided by Income-Tax Sources of cash recovered during raid at residential premises of Prateek Joshi in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. I-T searches are underway at 50 locations including Indore, Bhopal, Goa and Delhi. pic.twitter.com/TAMe4J1Nii
— ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2019
These raids came close to the elections, with the nation going into the first phase of polls in just a few days. The Congress party which has been claiming, that the BJP has been using agencies as a vindictive political tool has fallen silent on the raids. Senior Congress Leaders from Madhya Pradesh like Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia have also refrained from commenting on these raids. Usually, in case of similar incidents in other states, political parties have attempted to color the action of agencies as vindictive and politically motivated, however they have fallen silent over these raids which rocked Madhya Pradesh on 7th April. National leadership of the Congress Party which has been attacking the current government and crying over action by Investigative agencies however there has been nothing but deafening silence on these raids.
Adding insult to injury are the rumors making the rounds on different social media platforms, which point towards a theory of these raids being an internal conspiracy to undermine the Kamal Nath government. The silence of the Congress national and state leadership on the raids has fanned these hot rumors which claim that an insider tip to the agencies led to these raids. Kamal Nath government has been under a lot of pressure from increasing farmers’ distress and deteriorating law and order situation in Madhya Pradesh, these rumors are also poised to further destabilize the barely 4 month old state government.
Reports over hindrance by MP police in the case have also surfaced, Pradeep Kumar, CRPF Official: “Madhya Pradesh Police aren’t letting us work, they’re hurling abuses at us. We’re only following orders of our seniors. Seniors have asked us to not let anybody in. Proceedings are on, that’s why we’re not letting anybody in; only performing our duty.”
Pradeep Kumar, CRPF Official: Madhya Pradesh Police aren't letting us work, they're hurling abuses at us. We're only following orders of our seniors. Seniors have asked us to not let anybody in. Proceedings are on, that’s why we're not letting anybody in; only performing our duty pic.twitter.com/i2jVyLKJfu
— ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2019
Ex-Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan attacked the state Government for not letting the agencies work. “Cash is being recovered, documents are found, properties are unearthed. I’m surprised that the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh instead of cooperating, he is trying to stop the Income Tax department’s proceedings.”
Former Madhya Pradesh CM SS Chouhan: Cash is being recovered, documents are found, properties are unearthed. I'm surprised that the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh instead of cooperating, he is trying to stop the Income Tax department's proceedings. https://t.co/l3HnFFsDTx
— ANI (@ANI) April 7, 2019
However larger questions on the recovery made by the taxmen await the Congress and its CM Kamal Nath. The Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls saw incoherencies between the top brass in the state Congress with multiple leaders claiming the chief ministers’ throne, Kamal Nath, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijaya Singh were in the race. However, after a narrow margin victory, the Congress central leadership had decided to sideline the young aide Jyotiraditya Scindia for the old warhorse Kamal Nath. These rumors, if true, can have a huge impact on the future of the already struggling Kamal Nath government and can also spell horrors for the organization of Congress in the State.
