politics

Congress Leader Digvijaya Singh's Fact-Check On Land Allegation Sparks Intra-Party Conflict

Published on: 03 Jul 2026, 01:35 AM

For three days, the Madhya Pradesh Congress witnessed a rare public feud after senior leader and former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh fact-checked allegations made by his own party against Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. The controversy began when state Congress president Jitu Patwari accused the government of handing over land worth approximately Rs 500 crore to a trust called Veer Bharat Nyas for a token Re 1. Patwari claimed the trust was private and linked to the Chief Minister's cultural advisor.

However, on June 24, Digvijaya Singh appeared before reporters in Ujjain and contradicted the allegation. He stated that after examining relevant documents, he found the trust was a government trust, not a private one. Singh said, 'It is being alleged that land worth Rs 500 crore has been rendered to a private trust for Re 1 only. But I have all the relevant papers with me, which establish that the concerned land hasn’t been given to any private trust. Instead, the concerned trust is a government trust.'

The BJP quickly seized the opportunity. State BJP media in-charge Ashish Usha Agrawal posted on X that the lie had been exposed by the Congress's own leader. BJP spokesperson Dr Hitesh Bajpai praised Singh for verifying documents before speaking, while MLA Pritam Lodhi even invited Singh to join the BJP, calling him a 'good elderly man'.

Congress leaders scrambled for damage control. Ravi Saxena affirmed Singh's loyalty to the party, saying his 'DNA is rooted in the Congress'. However, Congress general secretary Nidhi Chaturvedi launched a sharp attack on Singh, accusing him of sabotaging the party's anti-corruption campaign to protect his son's political ambitions. The party subsequently announced a three-day Maun Satyagraha (silent protest) against media coverage of the issue.

This incident highlights internal divisions within the Congress and the challenges of maintaining a united front against the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh.

Source: Indian Express

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