Chhattisgarh Congress MP Ramkumar Yadav seen with huge sum of money in viral video, BJP steps up attack

Raipur:

A video of a Chhattisgarh Congress MLA allegedly sitting in front of wads of notes has sparked a row with the BJP raising allegations of “corruption” in the state as the lawmaker in question said it was about a plot aimed at denigrating his image.

Chhattisgarh BJP general secretary OP Choudhary shared this video on his social media on Sunday, claiming that the Congress had made Chhattisgarh a den of corruption.

The video clip shows MP Ramkumar Yadav sitting on a sofa placed next to a bed where bundles of cash are kept. Another man is seen sitting alongside Yadav, while the face of a third person sitting next to the money on the bed is not visible.

“Will the Congress accept this video in which bundles of notes are placed in front of its MP or if it has any doubt about the video, will it show the courage to hand over the matter to the CBI for investigation ? Choudhary wrote about X.

कांग्रेस विधायक जी के सामने रखे नोटों की गड्ड ी वाले इस वीडियो को स्वीकार करेगी या वीडियो पर क के लिये CBI सौंपने का साहस दि So??

So? ?

ये हैं कांग्रेस के छत्तीसगढ़ में चंद्रपुर के विधायक रामकुमार… pic.twitter.com/HGKSrHXTEm

– OP Choudhary (@OPChoudhary_Ind) September 17, 2023

He said Yadav, who represents Chandrapur constituency, identifies as poor and lives in a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

“His father and grandfather also used to graze cattle, as he claims. But see the bundle of money kept in front of him in this video which has gone viral on social media.

“All Congress members have been looting Chhattisgarh for five years. Congress’ culture of corruption and mafia raj…There is mafia raj in everything including fly ash, sand, coal, alcohol…”, said the BJP leader.

Addressing a press conference, Choudhary said that Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel should show courage to accept the “truth” of this video and take action against his party’s MP.

If Baghel has any doubt about the video, he should recommend a CBI probe into the video, he added.

In response, MP Ramkumar Yadav called the video a conspiracy to malign his image by some “feudalists who cannot stomach the fact that a poor man’s son becomes an MP”.

“Only those who posted this video can tell the purpose. Neither I look at the money, nor my attention is drawn to it. I was just sitting there and someone was saying something to me. It seems that this was published only to denigrate my image, as I come from a poor family,” he claimed.

Commenting on the video, he asked: “If I get photographed with a plane, does that mean I own it? If Ramkumar is photographed with a grand palace, will he become its owner? » Parliamentary elections in Chhattisgarh are scheduled for later this year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)