No regret on Vyapam, Shivraj Singh Chouhan is as pure as Ganga, says MP BJP chief Nand Kumar Chouhan

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party chief Nand Kumar Chouhan on Sunday stoked a controversy by making an insensitive comment over the contentious Vyapam scam. Chouhan said, "There is no regret on Vyapam. Only 2,000 recruitments were faulty and 31 people have died."

Speaking in favour of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the BJP leader said, "What Shivraj Singh did is right. He is as pure as water of Ganga."

Opposition had demanded the resignation of Shivraj following the series of mysterious deaths in the last few years. However, he had said that it is "not fair" to link all such "unfortunate incidents" with the scandal.

Madhya Pradesh government had filed a plea in High Court for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the controversial scam.

The Vyapam scam has become a major political controversy with numerous witnesses and accused dying under mysterious circumstances. The Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam relates to irregularities in admission in state-run medical colleges and recruitment in government jobs.

Alleged financial and administrative irregularities, including unauthorised disposal of application forms, worth crores of rupees by the MPPEB have been pointed out in an audit report.

The MPPEB conducts entrance and recruitment tests for admission in medical and engineering courses, and selection in certain government services, among others.

It has been alleged that corrupt officials at the board took money to compromise the examination and recruitment for several professional courses. These courses include pre-engineering, pre-medical, MCA, teaching etc.