According to newspaper reports, both Tiwari and Digvijay Singh may be summoned by Bhopal police to record their statement. Sriniwas Tiwari has already applied for anticipatory bail. The police have arrested two senior officers of the state Vidhan Sabha who were the direct beneficiary of the favours allegedly bestowed on them by Tiwari and Digvijay Singh. The intention of the government became clear when two terminated Vidhan Sabha Additional Secretaries Satyanarayan Sharma and Dr. Kamla Kant Sharma were arrested in connection with Vidhan Sabha appointment fraud.

The state Legislative assembly administration had already fired these two additional secretaries Satyanarayan Sharma and Dr. Kamalkant Sharma, following high court directives. Both were terminated for not fulfilling the eligibility criterion. The then Speaker Sriniwas Tiwari had recruited them and many others using his discretionary powers. The court issued the order on a petition filed by Vivek Lakhera, who had challenged appointments of 13 persons in the legislative assembly secretariat.

Earlier, an FIR was filed on February 28 this year against Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh and former Speaker of the Madhya Pradesh Assembly Sriniwas Tiwari and 17 others in connection with appointments to the legislature secretariat during the Congress regime. Deputy Secretary of the state Assembly Shyamlal Maithil had filed the FIR at Jehangirabad police station.

The FIR was filed under sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC on the recommendations of Justice (Retd) Sachindra Dwivedi committee, which found these appointments as illegal and recommended dismissal of these 17 persons.

Dwivedi Committee was setup in 2004-05 to probe the appointments made during the Congress regime from 1993-2003 when Singh was the Chief Minister and Tiwari the Speaker. Its report was submitted in 2006.

The 17 employees included former principal secretary of Vidhan Sabha Dr. AK Payasi, who was a chief municipal officer and was later deputed to the Assembly. He was then transferred to the Assembly and went on to become the principal secretary.

Meanwhile the state Congress has decided to stand by Digvijay Singh and Tiwari. In a statement issued here.

Leader of opposition Satyadev Katare has severely slammed the state government and Bhopal police for adopting a biased approach in investigation in Legislative Assembly backdoor recruitment.

The government should stop 'political blackmailing' and if it dares, it should arrest AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh and former speaker Sriniwas Tiwari, Katare told media persons.

The LOP said police started investigation on recruitments between 1993 and 2003 on the basis of FIR lodged by the Assembly on the government's instructions but no action has been taken in case of 2004 recruitments in the same assembly. He said investigation agency should not be biased otherwise it would have to face stern action.

He alleged that State government has mounted pressure on the Congress and its leaders like Digvijay Singh to suppress their voice in Vyapam scam. The party however, stands by them and would give befitting reply, he added.

Katare also hit out at Lokayukta organisation alleging that the ombudsman organisation worked like a BJP outfit.. No action is taken on complaints, he submitted to the organisation against the government functionaries.

It may be mentioned that the state government revived the Vidhan Sabha appointment issue after Digvijay Singh launched frontal attack on the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan alleging his direct involvement in the Vyapam Scam. It is crystal clear that the Vidhan Sabha issue is being used to browbeat Digvijay Singh. The Vidhan Sabha appointment issue is about two decades old.

After the Congress defeat, BJP leader Ishwardas Rohani became Speaker. He occupied this post for ten years. He was fully aware of the irregularities in the appointments in Vidhan Sabha done by Sriniwas Tiwari. The details of irregularities were brought to Rohani's attention by Justice Dwivedi who proved in the allegation. But Rohani kept the Dwivedi report in cold storage. Everybody is aware that during Rohani's regime too several irregular appointments took place. But they are not being probed. Rohani is no more. He died just on the eve of 2013 Vidhan Sabha elections.

There is no doubt that successive speakers broke rules to oblige their favourites and appointed them though most of them did not possess requisite qualifications. Speakers have enormous powers in the affairs of the Vidhan Sabha. His decision cannot be questioned. Because of this they always went out of the way to oblige their favourites. Because of the high handed behaviour of speakers in the matter of appointment, the quality of Vidhan Sabha personnel has deteriorated to considerable extent. Vidhan Sabha needs competent hands to handle various tasks by the Vidhan Sabha secretariat.

It is high time that steps should be taken to introduce system of checks and balances so that the speaker is prevented from acting in an arbitrary manner. One of the solutions can be the creation of all India legislative service. (IPA Service)