New Delhi: A day after a report disclosed Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav’s family acquired 137 plots spanning 168 acres in Ujjain along roads built by the government, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that the accusations are only a “conspiracy” by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to discredit and replace three of its CMs, including in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The SP chief’s allegation comes after a report in The Indian Express stated that Mohan Yadav’s family and real estate firms had acquired at least 137 plots spanning 168 acres in Ujjain for Rs 45 crore in two years since December 2023, and that the plots were allegedly concentrated in areas that had benefited from road projects by the state government. "The BJP has hatched a conspiracy to defame Mohan Yadav. If these allegations are against Mohan Yadav, then the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has acquired 300-600 acres of land,” Akhilesh told reporters in Lucknow, taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath. He alleged that the land purchases by the MP chief minister’s family were not new since he had been involved in real estate before becoming chief minister. “Wasn’t BJP aware that he was into real estate business? You know why these allegations are being levelled at this stage? This is because BJP is looking for ways to remove and replace three CMs,” Akhilesh alleged. Meanwhile, the Congress alleged that the “engine of loot was running at full speed” in Madhya Pradesh. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, in a post on X, alleged that under the BJP's “double engine government in Madhya Pradesh, the 'engine of loot' is running at full speed” and that the chief minister himself was at helm of this alleged loot. He pointed to speculation of the allegations being a story “planted” by the Union agriculture minister, who moved from Madhya Pradesh to the centre – a clear reference to former MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

“The infighting appears to be over the chair and a share in spoils,” Ramesh alleged. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal questioned why central probe agencies were not acting against Mohan Yadav on the basis of the allegations. “PM Modi, why have EDCBI not knocked on the doors of MP CM Mohan Yadav? Is a 253-acre mega land scam not grounds enough to chase him and punish him for his crimes?” Venugopal asked, alleging that investigative agencies are only used to hound opposition politicians, settle political scores and pressure rivals into joining its alliance.

Mohan Yadav has been the MLA from Ujjain (South) since 2013. The Indian Express report also noted the chief minister’s long involvement in the development of the city’s tourism and infrastructure. Before becoming the chief minister, the report noted, he served as the chairperson of the Ujjain Development Authority from 2004 to 2010 and as the head of the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation during 2011-13.