Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has threatened to file a criminal defamation suit against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for accusing him and his family of involvement in Vyapam and Panama Papers cases.
In a midnight tweet, Chouhan said he would take criminal action for maximum damages against Gandhi.
"@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 mala fide statements. Let the law take its own course now," the Chief Minister wrote on Twitter.
Addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on Monday, the Congress president had alleged that Chouhan’s son was involved in Panama Papers case.
Gandhi claimed that the name of the son of 'mamaji', a chief minister, had figured in the Panama Papers but no action was taken against him.
"Udhar Chowkidar, Idhar Mamaji. Mamaji ke jo bete hai, Panama Papers me unka naam nikalta hai. (On one side, you have the watchman, on the other side you have 'mamaji'. The name of the son of 'mamaji' figured in Panama Papers)," news agency PTI quoted Gandhi as saying.
Gandhi alleged that "rampant corruption took place in the state (MP) under the chief minister Chouhan including Vyapam, e-tendering and Mahakumbh mela."
The Congress president later said he got confused between the scams as there is so much corruption in the BJP
"There is so much corruption in the BJP that I got confused. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister was not in Panama scam. He is involved in the e-tendering and Vyapam scam," NDTV quoted Gandhi as saying.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
