BJP lawmaker booked after complaint that he forged OBC certificate

Mangalore Today News Network

Madhya Pradesh, Dec 23, 2019: The Madhya Pradesh Police booked Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Guna, Krishnapal Singh Yadav, for cheating on Sunday night. Yadav, along with his son Sarthak Yadav, has been accused of committing a fraud in getting OBC certificates from the district administration by concealing actual income of the family, the police said Hindustan Times reported.

The FIR was lodged by Kotwali police based on the inquiry report of sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), in Ashok Nagar, 269 kilometers north of capital Bhopal. The inquiry was initiated on a complaint by one Giriraj Yadav, a resident of Ashok Nagar district. The SDM in his report mentioned concealment of the real income of the family by the BJP MP and his son for getting the OBC certificates meant for non-creamy layer OBC members, said police.

The MP and his son have been booked under Sections 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 120B (Criminal conspiracy), 181 (False statement on oath or affirmation to public servant) and 182 (False information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person) of Indian Penal Code (IPC), as per the FIR lodged on Sunday night.

Town inspector PP Mudgal said, “The FIR will be forwarded to Mungaoli police station where the alleged crime was committed. There will be an investigation before a further action.”

As per the FIR, the complainant had alleged that the MP got an OBC certificate issued in his name in 2014 by declaring his family’s income as Rs 1 lakh annually while his son got the OBC certificate in 2019 by affirming that his family’s income was Rs 5 lakh annually.

As per the FIR, during the SDM’s inquiry, it was found that the MP had shown a different income of his family for the year 2014-15 in his affidavit he filed at the time of 2019 Lok Sabha polls i.e. Rs 8.19 lakh. Similarly, he showed his income as Rs 39 lakh for the year 2018-19 whereas his son had declared the family’s income as Rs 5 lakh annually. The family’s income as shown in the affidavit suggested that the family belongs to a creamy layer and thus the MP and his son were not eligible for OBC certificates meant for non-creamy layer OBC people.

In his reply to the SDM’s notice, the MP had said the complaint was filed against him and son out of a political vendetta and that neither he nor his son took any advantage of any government scheme meant for non-creamy layer OBC members.

Despite constant efforts, the MP and his son could not be reached for their comments. “I am not aware of the MP and his son’s locations. Whenever they are available they will get back with reply,” his personal assistant said.

State Congress spokesperson Pankaj Chaturvedi said, “It’s a legal process. However, different incomes shown by the MP in different affidavits give clear indication about a forgery committed. The BJP has to decide if it will like to keep an MP with it who has committed a forgery. We are also looking into other legal options if it’s required.”

State BJP spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal said, “The haste in which the inquiry was committed, certificates were cancelled and now FIR lodged categorically suggests what the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh is up to. The MP and also the party will consult the legal experts to fight against highhandedness of the government legally.”