Madhya Pradesh: Congress seeks probe into alleged Ujjain land scam by CM Mohan Yadav’s family

The Congress on Tuesday (Jun 23, 2026) demanded a high-level probe by a Supreme Court judge-led committee into an alleged land scam by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s family members after a report claimed they bought a property where infrastructure projects were later announced.

Citing government land records, an English daily report claimed that Mr. Yadav’s wife, son and daughter-in-law, as well as members of his extended family, had purchased 168 acres of land through 137 plots in and around Ujjain since December 2023, when he replaced Shivraj Singh Chouhan, now the Union Agriculture Minister, as state representative25.

The purchases were made either directly by them or through four real estate companies owned by them. The report claimed that most of these purchases were made in areas where government road projects or areas where the Ujjain Master Plan, 2035 proposes to convert agricultural land into residential or commercial properties.

The ‘loot engine’ is running at full speed in the ‘twin engine’ BJP government in Madhya Pradesh.

The Chief Minister of the state Mohan Yadav himself remains the mastermind behind this loot.

It is also being discussed that the ‘message cultivation’ against the Chief Minister was done by the Agriculture Minister who went to the Center from Madhya Pradesh. chair duel… pic.twitter.com/RjV3xDtUJ2

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 23, 2026

In all, the family has acquired 253 acres of land since 2021, when Mr Yadav became a minister in the state government, the report claimed. His family has long been in the real estate business in and around the holy city of Ujjain. Mr. Yadav is a third-term MLA from Ujjain-South and was also the Chairman of the Ujjain Development Authority (UDA) from 2004 to 2010 and the Chairman of the MP Tourism Development Corporation (MPTDC) from 2011 to 2013.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Umang Singhar, told a press conference in Bhopal that land prices were increased in a “well-planned manner” by the fact that there were projects, and land was purchased in those areas before the projects were announced.

“The chief minister will surely say that ‘everything happened according to the rules and the law and we are filing income tax’. But our demand is that the Supreme Court judge should investigate it by forming a commission,” Mr. Singhar said, adding that the probe would reveal those involved in the matter and who benefited from it.

“We know that the Chief Minister will not let the SIT investigate it or give answers. That is why we are demanding an inquiry by a commission headed by a Supreme Court judge,” he said while alleging that corruption of crores of rupees was going on in Ujjain in the name of Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2028.

Mr. Singhar further alleged that similar irregularities and land scams had taken place in various other projects and cities like Indore and sought to reveal the names of companies and people involved in such deals.

Why no ED-CBI action, asks Venugopal

Congress national general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, asking why central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate or the Central Bureau of Investigation have yet to investigate Mr Yadav.

“PM Modi, why didn’t ED-CBI knock on MP CM Mohan Yadav’s door? Isn’t the 253-acre mega land scam reason enough to hunt him down and punish him for his crimes?” Mr. Venugopal said targeting the ruling party for alleged misuse of central agencies.

“The regime, which is hyperactive to use investigative agencies to hound opposition leaders to settle political scores or pressure them to join their alliance, is now fast asleep while their own handpicked lieutenants loot public wealth. Be it the Ujjain Land scam or the shocking loot of endowment funds from the Ram Temple in Ayodhya – a massive list of the CM and his family. infinite,” he wrote on X.

“People are well aware of the truth behind ‘Na Khaung, Na Khaane Doong’ and are demanding justice. This farce must stop,” the Congress leader said.

“Publish Approval”

State Congress president Jitu Patwari asked if the government would publish a list of all land-use changes approved for projects where Mr Yadav’s family had bought land.

Mr. Patwari also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was involved in both the “Ayodhya Ram temple endowment scam and land theft in Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain) temple town”.

Mr. Patwari and Mr. Singhar also sought the resignation of the Chief Minister on moral grounds.

Meanwhile, several Congress leaders also took issue with the factionalization of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and claimed that the report was a result of the ruling party’s struggle.

“In the ‘two-engine’ BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, the ‘loot engine’ is running at full speed. The state’s chief minister Mohan Yadav himself has become the mastermind behind this loot,” Congress national general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh said.

“There is also talk that ‘news farming’ against the Chief Minister was masterminded by the Agriculture Minister who moved from MP to the Centre! It looks like a fight over a chair and shares of spoils,” Mr Ramesh said, hinting that Mr Chouhan had leaked land records.

Published – 23 Jun 2026 19:02 IST