MP: FIR against Priyanka Gandhi, Kamal Nath over '50% commission' allegation on BJP govt
Indore (MP): The Indore Police on Saturday said that it has filed a First Information Report (FIR) against the "handlers" of the 'X' accounts linked with prominent Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath, and former Union minister Arun Yadav.
The FIR was filed in response to a post on Twitter, which is now known as 'X', accusing the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh of corruption.
In a statement shared the Indore Police Commissioner revealed that Nimesh Pathak, the legal cell convener of the local BJP, lodged a complaint alleging that a fabricated letter under the name of one Gyanendra Awasthi had been circulated on social media.
A case has been filed against Gyanendra Awasthi, as well as the "handlers" of the 'X' accounts belonging to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kamal Nath, and Arun Yadav, at the Sanyogitaganj police station in the city, as per the release.
The complaint filed by Nimesh Pathak is currently under investigation.
Earlier on the same day, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Ramsanehi Mishra stated that an FIR had been registered against the Twitter "handles" of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kamal Nath, and Arun Yadav at the Sanyogitaganj police station in the city. The case has been filed under sections 420 (cheating) and 469 (forgery with intent to harm reputation) of the Indian Penal Code, based on the complaint made by Pathak.
Pathak alleged that the Congress leaders conspired to tarnish the image of the BJP-led government by sharing "misleading" posts on social media and accusing it of corrupt activities.
The police are currently verifying the authenticity of the respective Twitter handles, according to the official statement.
On Friday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra posted on X alleging that a group of contractors in Madhya Pradesh wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of the High Court, claiming that their payments were released only after paying a 50% commission.
She further stated that the "corrupt BJP government in Madhya Pradesh" had surpassed the alleged 40% commission taken by the BJP government in Karnataka.
मध्य प्रदेश में ठेकेदारों के संघ ने हाईकोर्ट के मुख्य न्यायाधीश को पत्र लिखकर शिकायत की है कि प्रदेश में 50% कमीशन देने पर ही भुगतान मिलता है।
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) August 11, 2023
कर्नाटक में भ्रष्ट BJP सरकार 40% कमीशन की वसूली करती थी। मध्य प्रदेश में BJP भ्रष्टाचार का अपना ही रिकॉर्ड तोड़कर आगे निकल गई है।… pic.twitter.com/LVemnZQ9b6
Priyanka Gandhi accused the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh of corruption and expressed her belief that the people of the state would remove the "50% commission government" from power.
Kamal Nath and Arun Yadav also made similar posts.
Responding to Priyanka Gandhi's allegation, MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra challenged her to provide evidence supporting her claim and cautioned that the state government and the BJP were prepared to take legal action if proof was not presented.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the opposition party of spreading falsehoods. Later on, the Gwalior police registered a case against some people in connection with Priyanka Gandhi's post on Friday evening.