Bhopal, Sep 15 (PTI) Union minister Virendra Kumar Khatik on Sunday brushed aside allegations of irregularities made by a former BJP MLA and challenged him to a public debate.
Speaking to PTI, former Madhya Pradesh minister Manvendra Singh claimed Khatik had appointed people with criminal backgrounds as his representatives in various departments, adding their presence in public functions was sending a wrong message to officials and citizens.
Singh, a former Maharajpur MLA, also alleged Khatik worked against BJP candidates in the 2023 assembly polls and that his supporters were not coordinating with party MLAs.
Hitting back, Khatik said, “The allegations stem from desperation and frustration. Those levelling charges are in trouble after I directed the administration to stop all illegal businesses. I challenge them to prove even one allegation against me. Now those who have made these allegations must be ready as they have stirred up the hornet’s nest.” “Those making these allegations are imported leaders. These people, who are not part of our ideology, will teach us how to lead our public and political lives? First, they should look at their own deeds and then give advice. They should debate with me in public after learning about the BJP ideology,” eight-time Lok Sabha MP Khatik told reporters in Damoh.
Singh was a minister in the Congress government under Digvijaya Singh and then joined the BJP. His son Kamakhya Pratap Singh is sitting MLA from Maharajpur in Chhatarpur district, which is part of Khatik’s Tikamgarh Lok Sabha seat.
According to sources, Khatik last week directed officials to come down heavily on illegal mining in his Tikamgarh parliamentary seat.
Talking to reporters in Chhatarpur, BJP MLA Lalita Yadav seconded Manvendra Singh and claimed what he said was “true to a large extent”.
Representatives appointed by Khatik were agents of the Congress in the polls, Yadav alleged.
All MLAs in the region are facing trouble due to Khatik’s intervention, she further claimed. PTI COR ADU BNM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.