Voting for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections took place on 17 Nov and results will be out 3 Dec. A prominent BJP candidate in the fray is union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar. A few days before voting, two videos of Tomar’s son, Devendra Pratap Singh Tomar, surfaced on the internet. In them, he is seen indulging in conversations over illegal money transfers with an unknown person. A third video, released by Congress on 14 Nov has Canadian resident Jagmandeep Singh – originally from Sangrur, Panjab – stating that Devendra is speaking to him in the first two videos. Singh says he is a blueberry and marijuana farmer and Tomar’s family was interested in partnering with him by investing in land in Canada. Singh provides elaborate details of the location where the video was shot, mobile screenshots of money transactions, and his phone number if any journalist wishes to contact him. Singh alleges that when earlier SAD leader and now BJP spokesperson Manjinder Singh Sirsa was President of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), he routed illegal funds for Tomar through the Delhi Gurdwaras. Tomar said the videos are part of a ‘well-planned conspiracy by the opposition at the time of elections with the aim of misleading the public.’ Until now, the government has not taken any action against Tomar, his son, Sirsa, or Singh. Media too has hardly reported the videos or followed up on the leads Singh has shared. However, since Sirsa’s name has come up in allegations, the Sikh community must probe his role as head of DSGMC to verify if Gurdwara treasuries were indeed misused.
Like what you're reading? Subscribe to our top stories.
Liv Forum provides a digest of analysis on major issues facing Indian (East) Panjab and Sikhs globally.
In accordance with our Privacy Policy, we will never share or sell the information of our subscribers.
