Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhans’s son Kartikeya on Tuesday filed a defamation suit against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in a Bhopal court for naming him in the Panama Papers scam.
The court has posted the matter for hearing on November 3 when Kartikeya would record his statement before the court.
In his defence, the Congress president said his comments were a result of confusion owing to the scale of corruption in the BJP.
“BJP mein itna bhrashtachaar hai ki main kal confuse ho gaya tha. Madhya Pradesh ke CM ne Panama nahi kiya unhone to e-tendering aur vyapam scam kiye hain (There is so much corruption in the BJP that I got confused. The Madhya Pradesh CM has not done Panama but he has done e-tendering and Vyapam scams),” said Rahul clarifying his remarks.
Kartikey’s lawyer said the defamation suit is filed and even if Gandhi now wants to tender an apology, he would have to do it before the court.
On Monday, while addressing a rally in Jhabua, Rahul said, “Name of the son of CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan surfaced in the Panama papers, but no action was taken. Even a country like Pakistan punished its former PM when he was named in the Panama papers.”
Earlier, taking to Twitter, CM Chouhan had threatened a criminal defamation suit against Gandhi for linking him and his family members with several scams, including Vyapam and Panama Papers.
“Mr @RahulGandhi, You have been making patently false allegations of Vyapam to Panama Papers against me and my family. Tomorrow, I am filing a criminal defamation suit for maximum damages against you for frivolous and malafide statements. Let law take its own course now,” Chouhan said in a tweet on Monday, turning up the heat in the poll-bound state.
Gandhi further accused the Chouhan government of pursuing a "dharma of corruption".
In the past, CM Chouhan has denied his or his family's involvement in any recruitment test conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, popularly known by its Hindi acronym — "Vyapam" (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal). The scam also hogged limelight for the death of a number of accused and witnesses.
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