Congress Files Complaint Against Madhya Pradesh Minister Over Land "Gift"

NDTV found that the land, when purchased by the Singh brothers, was described in documents as a non-irrigable wasteland. But after the minister got it, it was classified as irrigable farmland

The opposition Congress in Madhya Pradesh has filed a complaint against Revenue Minister Govind Singh Rajput over allegedly taking a "gift" of 50-acre land in Sagar district from his brother-in-laws earlier this year. The Singh brothers purchased the land in September 2021, just months before it was "gifted" to the minister.

The Congress has filed the complaint with the 'benami properties prohibition wing' of the income tax department. The alleged irregularities in the transaction has robbed the state of several crores, the Congress said, alleging it was just a process to help the minister launder black money.

NDTV found that the land, when purchased by the Singh brothers, was described in documents as a non-irrigable wasteland. But after the minister got it, it was classified as irrigable farmland.

The Congress alleged the process was meant to evade stamp duty. With the land named irrigable farmland, the minister and his family received benefits under the state's 1959 law on land revenue.