Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday alleged that Madhya Pradesh has become the “epicentre of corruption and loot” under the BJP government, following media reports of an alleged ethanol scam in the state. In a post on X, Kharge questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over the scam and said that accountability in public life has been trampled upon under the BJP regime.
Ethanol scam details
Kharge cited media reports claiming that rice meant for ethanol production is being diverted back into the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Madhya Pradesh. The reports also stated that the state government has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe a suspected multi-crore-rupee fortified-rice-diversion racket, whereby subsidised grain supplied to approved ethanol plants is allegedly sold to private millers and recycled into government warehouses.
“Now, a Rs 1,200 crore rice scam in the name of ethanol has come to light. The very rice that was meant to be used for the nutrition of malnourished children, pregnant women and adolescent girls has been diverted in a game of profit,” the Congress chief said. He claimed that 5 lakh metric tonnes of rice have become part of this “corrupt game” under the protection of rice millers, the ethanol mafia and the BJP government.
Allegations of widespread corruption
Kharge alleged that with the collusion of the BJP and the government machinery, the public’s rightful grain is being looted. He also raised the recent charges against Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav of buying land in the name of his relatives. “Before this, a massive land scam came to light. In Ujjain, land expansions happened in precisely those areas where government infrastructure projects and the highway corridor were proposed. This has raised question marks even over the chief minister himself,” Kharge said.
“Everywhere, in every department, it is a game of loot and filling their own pockets—this is the story of the BJP’s loot,” the Congress chief alleged. He claimed that this “loot”, which began with the Vyapam scam, has not stopped even today, despite countless paper leaks and cases of corruption.
Attack on PM Modi
“The BJP has turned Madhya Pradesh into a model of corruption and as always, Modiji just sits there in stoic silence. The Modi-Shah duo has trampled the very concept of accountability in public life under the arrogance of power,” Kharge alleged.
