No one in BJP asked me to seek CBI probe: Shivraj

Beleaguered Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today claimed that none in the party brass told him to ask for a CBI probe into the Vyapam scam.
He also maintained said he took the decision too seek a CBI inquiry on his own as an "air of suspicion" and suspense was being created to say a number of deaths are happening due to the scam in his state.
"Only the media is saying this. My leadership trusts me fully and that is something I am proud of. No one told me that you should request for a CBI probe. I felt it myself. Earlier I did not ask for a CBI probe as court was monitoring the probe...So what was the need?

"But when a perception was created in the last 2-3 days and an air of suspicion was created that something is wrong somewhere and the deaths are happening due to Vyapam...And a wrong picture was being created, I thought this can be cleared only by a CBI probe," he told PTI here.
Chouhan, who is on a brief visit to the capital on some official work, said he still believes the Special Task Force (STF) probing the case, under the supervision of the Special Investigation Team and overall monitoring of the Madhya Pradesh High Court (HC), did a "good" job adding the truth of the case will "remain the same" irrespective of whatever is being said.

"I will tell you the truth and that is that the facts and the truth of the case are these only what I have been saying and whosoever probes it whether CBI or anyone else....I only first ordered a probe into this entire thing in 2013," he said.

The Chief Minister said he will request the Supreme Court in a similar manner as he made a plea to the MP High Court that the case should be investigated by the CBI.
"I could not have ordered for a CBI probe straightaway as that would have amounted to contempt of court. We talked to legal experts and then we requested the court (HC). We will request the same to Supreme Court now," he said.

Asked why his name was being dragged into the scam, Chouhan slammed the Congress party saying it is because he has become an "eyesore" (kaanta) in the eyes of the opposition in the state as he is not allowing them to win any election.
"I defeated Congress in every election in the state. (Congress maidan mein kahin tik nahi payi Shivraj ke saameny) Congress party was no match for me in MP," he said.