Allegations of links with businessman baseless: Bhuria

Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kantilal Bhuria today dismissed as "baseless and without any foundation" the charges that he had links with businessman Sudhir Sharma whose premises were raided here last week by the income tax department.

"I can say with full confidence that I have no links with Sharma and I am ready for any probe into the matter," Bhuria told mediapersons here.

All these charges were being floated by the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh to divert the people's attention from its wrong activities, he said.

The state Congress chief said he had been in public life for a long time and so far no one has ever charged him with taking money from anyone for any purpose.

On the contrary, he said state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should resign on moral grounds after the IT raids on two businessmen "connected with the BJP".

"It is strange that Chouhan is maintaining a silence on the raids and is not saying anything about his links with these two businessmen," he said. Bhuria charged the state BJP government with giving protection to land and mining mafias and turning a blind eye to their activities.

He said all such activities should be probed by CBI so that the truth about the BJP government comes to light. The Congress had been demanding for a long time an inquiry into the illegal mining activities in the state, but the government has always turned a deaf ear to its demand, he added.