Raipur: A purported video showing a Congress MLA sitting in front of bundles of cash has triggered a row in poll-bound Chhattisgarh with the opposition BJP targetting the grand old party over the matter.
In the video clip, Congress MLA Ramkumar Yadav is sitting on a sofa placed beside a bed where bundles of cash are kept.
Others were also seen sitting in the room along with Yadav. However, they were yet to be identified.
The state BJP unit has accused the Congress MLA of indulging in ‘corruption’.
The party has sought an answer from Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on the matter.
State unit BJP general secretary O.P. Choudhary, sharing the video on his social media handle, on Sunday alleged that “the Congress has made Chhattisgarh a den of corruption”.
Choudhary has also demanded an CBI investigation into the matter.
Addressing a press conference, Choudhary said CM Baghel should show courage to accept the ‘truth’ of this video and take action against his party MLA.
Hitting at the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government, the BJP leader alleged that “a nexus between Congress leaders and some powerful persons have been looting the public money in Chhattisgarh for the last five years”.
Choudhary also questioned if “CM Baghel would show the courage to hand over the matter to CBI for investigation?”
Meanwhile, responding to the video, Congress MLA Ramkumar Yadav said he has nothing do with the bundles of cash seen in the video.
“Those have shared the video on social media should come forward to tell the people the truth. It has been done to tarnish my image. It’s not the first time such things have come against me. A similar video surfaced earlier also when I was given ticket from the Congress in 2018.”
Interacting with the press, Yadav defended himself, alleging that “some powerful people could not digest that a person belongs to poor family reach to the state assembly”.
“They are Samantvadi (feudal) who could not digest a person get elected and reach the state assembly. They have tried to tarnish my image earlier also, but people of my constituency know me well,” Yadav said.
–IANS