In a serious allegation against the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Vyapam whistleblower Anand Rai has claimed that Shivraj Singh Chouhan tried to broker a deal with him, offering to cancel his transfer if he withdrew his campaign against Mr. Chouhan in the scam.
An employee of the State Health department, Dr. Rai was recently transferred from Indore to Dhar. Weeks later, his wife Gouri, a gynaecologist, was also transferred to the same district — her second transfer in one month.
Dr. Rai alleged that the transfers were part of a vendetta against him for his role in exposing the Vyapam scam. He challenged the “mala fide” transfers in court, which had stayed them.
Now, Dr. Rai said Mr. Chouhan tried to “negotiate” with him by promising him that he and his wife would be retained in Indore.
In an affidavit submitted before the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the 38-year-old Indore-based doctor had alleged that he was summoned by Mr. Chouhan to his official residence on the evening of August 11. The meeting was arranged by a “common friend.”
Over the hour-long meeting, starting at 9.45 p.m., Dr. Rai said the, “CM proposed to me that in case I stop my campaign of Vyapam and Dmat/State Quota Seat scam against the Chief Minister and his family, then he assured me that I and my wife will be allowed to remain at Indore and the transfer order would be cancelled.”
The CM also assured him that he would instruct the Advocate-General’s Office to give this in writing before the High Court, Dr. Rai said.
“He [The CM] asked me to not drag him and his family into the scam ... I assured him my fight was against the system and not against him personally,” Dr. Rai told The Hindu .
“By trying to negotiate my transfer, the CM is attempting to influence the probe,” the whistle-blower said.
Dr. Rai said the CM was impressed with his “honesty” and asked him to join his team in the fight against corruption.
“He offered me the post of a nodal officer for the public grievance redress system in the health division ... the State hoped that after the offer I would mellow down my campaign, but they are wrong,” Dr. Rai said.
The court had sought an answer from the State within seven days.
No reply
The Hindu rang up S.K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the CM, who promised to call back but didn’t do so. A detailed questionnaire was also sent to him. However, there was no reply till the filing of this report.
The Rais are apprehensive of a transfer to Dhar as it is the home district of senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Vikram Verma against whom Dr. Rai lodged a complaint with the CBI. Mr. Verma’s wife Neena Verma is the local MLA.
In his complaint to the CBI on July 17, Dr. Rai alleged that the BJP leader used his power and influence to get his daughter, who was pursuing MBBS in a college in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, transferred to the Gandhi Medical College in Bhopal.
