Will rather die than seek something for myself: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Bhopal, Dec 12: Outgoing Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said he will "rather die" than asking something for himself from his party.
He will carry out whatever task the Bharatiya Janata Party gives him, said the four-term chief minister who would soon be replaced by Mohan Yadav following the party's resounding victory in the last month's assembly elections.
"I wanted to say humbly that I would rather die than go (to Delhi) and ask for something for myself, this is not what I do," Chouhan told reporters here to a question.
Last week, amid suspense over who would be the next chief minister, Chouhan had said he would not go to Delhi while claiming that he had never been in the race for the top post in the state.
"When a person is self-centred, he thinks about himself. But the BJP is a mission, there is some work for every worker. I will do whatever work is assigned to me," the 64-year-old leader said on Tuesday.
Expressing contentment over his stint in power, Chouhan further said he was fully confident that the new BJP government under Mohan Yadav's leadership will complete the ongoing works at a rapid pace.
"I will always support them," he added.
The BJP formed a majority government in Madhya Pradesh with the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and due to the hard work of party workers as well as the welfare schemes of the state government and Centre, especially the `Ladli Behna' Yojana, he said.
The Ladli Behna Yojana was a flagship scheme of the Chouhan government under which Rs 1,250 are given to the women from financially weaker sections every month.
The state achieved all-round development during the BJP rule, he said, citing improved condition of roads, power supply and agriculture growth among other things.
Women's empowerment and farmers' welfare have never been a means of getting votes for him, Chouhan said.
Meanwhile, a video that surfaced on social media showed a group of women who were visiting the chief minister's residence on Tuesday morning crying in Chouhan's presence.
Mohan Yadav is set to take oath as chief minister on Wednesday.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Odisha Police arrests key accused in Rs 40-crore investment fraud
Bhubaneswar (PTI): Odisha Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has arrested the prime accused in a Rs 40-crore trading fraud, an officer said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Amit Mandal of West Bengal's Bankura, was arrested from his home district on December 31, the officer said.
ALSO READ: Congress and NCP (SP) to contest separately in Nagpur civic polls
After producing him in a local court there, Mandal was brought to Odisha on Friday, the EOW officer said.
The arrest was made in connection with a case registered on December 29 at the EOW police station on the basis of a complaint lodged by Sushant Kumar Das of Khurda district.
The complainant alleged that Mandal and his associates induced him to invest in share trading by promising high monthly returns ranging from 3.5 to 7 per cent per month.
Das had reportedly deposited Rs 8.5 lakh during 2022–2024.
According to police, Mandal induced around 500 depositors from Odisha and 100 from West Bengal between 2020 and 2024 and collected over Rs 120 crore, of which over Rs 40 crore is yet to be returned to investors.
"Initially, he paid monthly returns of depositors. However during 2023, Mandal failed to pay the returns and falsely assured the depositors that their money will be re-invested in his newly formed company. But suddenly he went missing before being arrested in Bankura district," the official said.
According to the EOW, the accused had been collecting deposits in his personal bank accounts maintained with two banks. "Scrutiny of one bank account revealed transactions amounting to Rs 122 crore. Other accounts are under verification," the officer said.
