FIR against Priyanka Gandhi, Kamal Nath over misleading social media posts against MP govt

New Delhi: Several Congress leaders, including party’s National General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Kamal Nath, have been accused of falsely accusing the Madhya Pradesh government of involvement in a “50 per cent commission” scam. They have been booked under IPC Sections 420 and 469 based on a complaint from BJP’s Indore legal cell convenor, Nimesh Pathak.

The FIR was lodged by a BJP leader on Saturday night in Indore, and it alleges that the Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Jairam Ramesh (National General Secretary, Communications), and Kamal Nath, posted identical content on social media.

Earlier on Saturday, the BJP leaders had submitted complaints to police in various cities of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, including state capital Bhopal, Indore and Rewa.

The saffron party leaders lodged FIRs against senior Congress leaders for allegedly making “untrue” social media posts based on a “fake letter” to defame the BJP and the state government.

The state BJP leaders, including Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Home Minister Narottam Mishra and State party Chief V.D. Sharma have said that the Congress’s accusations which are based on a “fake letter” are part of a pre-planned agenda to defame the BJP and state government.

The BJP leaders have alleged that the Congress leaders since Friday, have through identical posts, been falsely accusing the Madhya Pradesh government of indulging in “50 per cent commission” scam.

The Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Kamal Nath, while using news reports in a section of media, had posted on the social media platform that a union of contractors from Madhya Pradesh has written a letter to the Chief Justice of the High Court, complaining that they receive payment only after paying 50 per cent commission.

“The corrupt BJP government in Karnataka used to collect 40 per cent commission. In Madhya Pradesh, BJP has gone ahead by breaking its own record of corruption. People of Karnataka ousted the 40 per cent commission government, now the people of Madhya Pradesh will remove the 50 per cent commission government from power,” the Congress leaders alleged.

The BJP leaders claimed that they have checked in Gwalior about the concerned letter which is being quoted on the social media.

“Neither the address from which the alleged letter has been mailed, nor the sender (Gyanendra Awasthi) and nor the association under whose name it has been sent, actually exist on the ground. This clearly establishes that the letter is fake. We’ll definitely take legal action in the matter,” State BJP President V. D. Sharma said.

However, not ready to be cowed down by the ruling BJP leaders’ warning of legal action, State Congress’ media wing Head K. K. Mishra said, “We are not afraid of legal action or arrest. I welcome the police to arrest us even after midnight, but we’ll continue to expose rampant corruption under the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh. On the one hand Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party are giving the slogan “Bhrashtachar Bharat Chhodo”, but on the other hand, he is silent about rampant corruption in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.”