The Congress on Wednesday asked whether the Bharatiya Janata Party will agree to an independent judicial inquiry into allegations that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, his family members and their real estate companies bought large tracts of land in areas that will benefit most from infrastructure projects.
Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Jitu Patwari asked whether Yadav would agree to release a white paper providing details of the land that he and his family bought since the Bharatiya Janata Party leader became the chief minister in December 2023.
The Congress leader held a press conference a day after a report in The Indian Express reported that Yadav, his family and their real estate firms bought at least 137 plots worth Rs 45 crore between December 13, 2023, when he took oath as chief minister, and December 2025.
Most of the properties are either close to road projects announced in and around Ujjain or in areas where the land use will be changed from agriculture to residential or commercial under the Ujjain Master Plan 2035, the newspaper reported.
Ujjain is among Madhya Pradesh’s important religious tourism centres and has been the focus of several infrastructure projects in recent years. Yadav has been the MLA from Ujjain (South) since 2013.
On Wednesday, Patwari questioned whether farmers who had land holdings in the areas knew about the projects planned there. He urged the state’s BJP government to make public the details of changes in the area’s land use for development.
He also urged Yadav to explain the source of the funds used by him and his family to buy the land. “Should the complete details of the land bought by the chief minister’s family not be made public?” he asked.
On Tuesday, The Indian Express reported that of the 168 acres that Yadav and his family had acquired after he took oath as the chief minister, 111 acres are located next to one of the road development projects in and around Ujjain announced by him.
Within the city limits, Yadav and his family own land in almost every zone where land use will change under the 2035 master plan, the newspaper reported.
After the report was published, the Congress on Tuesday alleged that the “engine of loot was running at full speed” in Madhya Pradesh and that Yadav was the mastermind behind the alleged corruption.
State BJP chief Hemant Khandelwal on Tuesday said that the allegations were baseless and accused the Congress of “targeting an [Other Backward Classes] chief minister”, PTI reported.
In response, Patwari questioned why the BJP was invoking caste instead of addressing the allegations. “I belong to the OBC category myself,” he said. “Does my community not belong to the state’s economic system? Was their [OBCs’] share not stolen too?”
Yadav and his family have not yet responded to the allegations in the report or to the Congress’ demands.
Written by Neerad Pandharipande. Edited by Tanya Shrivastava.
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