Vyapam scam in MP

With Shivraj Singh Chauhan at the helm, Madhya Pradesh was fast becoming famous for high growth and good governance until the Vyapam scam hit the headlines. Scams do happen but the way a government responds to it reveals its real strength, or lack of it. In terms of deaths, arrests and money involved, it may well be the state's biggest-ever scam. Newspapers allege 44 scam-related deaths, the government admits to 25. Bribes paid reportedly amount to Rs 2,000 crore. Some 2,000 people have been arrested — among them the Education Minister — and 500 more are wanted. The accused included Governor Ram Naresh Yadav, but the high court provided him immunity from action. The scam relates to bribes paid for appointments to state jobs and admissions to professional courses carried out between 2007 and 2013 by the MP Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal (Vyapam) or the MP Professional Examination Board. 

The high court has appointed a special investigation team (SIT), which has pointed out that of those who died 32 were aged between 25 and 30. The deaths include both of the accused and witnesses and most have occurred under mysterious circumstances. Home Minister Babulal Gaur claims these were natural, while the Opposition, media and relatives of the deceased cry foul and demand a CBI inquiry. The accused also include RSS functionaries.  

The BJP claim of providing scam-free governance stands punctured. Given the reported facts of the case, it is clear the state government has not measured up to the task. It is a question of credibility. The high court will act only on the basis of information put before it. The BJP has cleverly used the high court and its slow-moving SIT to ward off demands for a more vigorous and a more professional investigation, especially by the CBI. Since public faith in the state agencies stands eroded, the Chief Minister himself should have handed over the case to the CBI, especially when it is the BJP government at the Centre that controls it.  Taken in conjunction with the “Lalitgate” revelation, the Vyapam scam has taken the moral sheen of the ruling party.