Minister claims Digvijaya Singh trying to destabilise Madhya Pradesh govt
Bhopal: A Madhya Pradesh minister has claimed that senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh is trying to destabilise the Kamal Nath-led state government.
State Forest Minister Umang Singhar wrote a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday in this connection, a move laying bare the factional feuds in the MP party unit, especially against the backdrop of names being propped up for the post of the state unit president, currently held by Nath.
Singh recently wrote to state ministers, urging them to give him an appointment so he can know what action has been taken on his recommendations for transfers and other works.
Singhar, a tribal MLA from Gandhwani seat, without taking Singh's name, told reporters here, "When he is running the government from behind the curtain, which is known to everyone including the Congress workers, then what was the need to write a letter (to ministers)".
In his letter to Gandhi, Singhar said, "I am writing to you with lot of pain to inform you that senior party leader and MP (Singh) is trying to destabilise the Kamal Nath government and trying to establish himself as a power centre."
He is continuously writing letters to the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues and also (making it) viral on social media, the letter further stated.
"He had also written letters to Nath regarding Vyapam, e-tendering and tree-plantation scams, but had not written about Simhast (Kumbh Mela) scam as his son Jaivardhan Singh is heading the urban administration and development ministry. The Congress had made it (Simhast scam) a big issue while it was in the opposition," the letter said.
"Such letters give credence to the opposition, including former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Leader of the Opposition Gopal Bhargava, that Digvijaya is running the government from behind the curtain," it added.
When contacted by PTI, Singhar confirmed he wrote the letter to Gandhi, and asked "what is wrong with it". Singh was unavailable for comments in the matter.
However, defending Singh, state public relations minister P C Sharma said there is nothing wrong in his writing letters to the chief minister and ministers as he is the former CM and currently a Rajya Sabha MP.
People come to him with their problems and he highlighted them by writing letters, he said. "He did the 'Narmada Parikrama' (circumambulation), and a large number of people contact him with their problems.
There is nothing wrong in writing letters," said Sharma, who is considered a loyalist of Singh. Sharma also refuted reports that Singh was running the government from behind the curtain. "It is Chief Minister Kamal Nath who is running the government and all senior leaders and ministers are supporting him," he asserted.
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Cash discovery row: Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma resigns
New Delhi (PTI): Embattled Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma, who was facing heat after wads of burnt currency notes were recovered from his residence here last year, has submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, rendering the impeachment proceedings against him as infructuous.
The purported discovery of a huge stash of cash took place after a fire broke out at Lutyens' Delhi residence of Justice Varma, then a Delhi High Court judge, at around 11:35 pm on the night of Holi on March 14, 2025, prompting the fire department personnel to rush to the spot and douse the flames.
In a letter sent to the President on April 9, the 57-year-old Justice Varma said he was tendering his resignation with "deep anguish" and it was an honour to serve the office.
"Your Excellency, While I do not propose to burden your august office with the reasons which have constrained me to submit this missive, it is with deep anguish that I hereby tender my resignation from the office of Judge of the Hon'ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, with immediate effect. It has been an honour to serve in this office," the resignation letter sent to the President on April 9 said.
The pending impeachment proceedings, intended to remove Varma from his office, becomes infructuous due to his resignation.
Consequently, a three-member inquiry committee comprising Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and senior advocate B V Acharya was conducting an inquiry, a condition precedent, before an impeachment motion.
Justice Varma's case saw many twists and turns after he refused to heed to the advice of then CJI Sanjiv Khanna to resign following two damning reports of judges.
Left with no option, Justice Khanna wrote to the President to proceed further to impeach Justice Varma.
He was later repatriated from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High.
The top court on January 16 had dismissed Varma's plea challenging the Lok Sabha Speaker's decision to admit an impeachment motion and the validity of a panel set up to inquire corruption charges against him, saying a provision in law cannot be used as a weapon to scuttle parliamentary proceedings.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted a multi-party motion for Justice Varma's removal on August 12 last year.
In an unprecedented move, the apex court on March 22 last year had uploaded on its website an in-house inquiry report, including photos and videos, into alleged discovery of a huge stash of cash at the residence of Justice Varma.
On March 22, 2025 then CJI Khanna had constituted a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry.
Justice Varma had "unequivocally" stated that no cash was ever placed in the storeroom "either by me or any of my family members and (I) strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us".
Justice Varma was enrolled as an advocate on August 8, 1992. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on October 13, 2014. High Court judges retire at the age of 62.
He took oath as a permanent judge of the Allahabad High Court on February 1, 2016, before being appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court on October 11, 2021.
A judge of a constitutional court can only be removed from office through an impeachment motion passed by Parliament.
