I exposed 'Vyapam' scam, getting blame for it: Shivraj Singh Chouhan

New Delhi: Facing heat over alleged irregularities in selections by the state recruitment board, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday

rejected demands for his resignation and dismissed any talk of differences between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Instead, he said he should be given credit for "exposing" the scam.

"They (Congress) say it (demand resignation). Congress puts blame on us that Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his wife have got the recruitments done. They do not have a single proof for it.

"They feel that unless they spoil my image, they can't be successful. My strong image among public is their biggest reason for pain," Chouhan told PTI in an interview here

Alleged irregularities have been noticed in the recruitments done by Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), responsible for conducting selections for various government jobs including teachers.

The Chief Minister said Congress leaders speak "bundles of lies" on the issue.

"There were 3,58,490 recruitments done by MPPEB. Of these, the alleged irregularities were found in 228. The scam was exposed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan and not by Congress or media.

"Today the condition is that one former minister and a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) are behind the bars. I only exposed the scam, but I am still being blamed for it," he said.

To a question on perceived differences between him and Modi, Chouhan said it was mere speculation and affected neither of the two and they were working in tandem.

"Neither does he (Modi) care, nor do I (on talk of differences). People keep on speculating," he said.