The Congress on Tuesday sought a judicial inquiry into land purchases in Ujjain by chief minister Mohan Yadav’s family and real estate companies controlled by them, claiming it to be a clear case of “conflict of interest,” and demanded his resignation.Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. (ANI)A report in The Indian Express on Tuesday revealed that Yadav’s family and their companies own 335 acres of land in and around Ujjain, of which about 168 acres was bought in 2024-25. Much of this land was brought close to highways and roads in Ujjain district, and their value appreciated from his government’s infrastructure push. Yadav, a legislator from Ujjain South since 2013, and a long-time real estate developer, became chief minister in late 2023.Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Madhya Pradesh, and referencing the newspaper report, Congress Committee leader Jitu Patwari and Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Umang Singhar said the chief minister has turned Ujjain into a hub for shady land dealings.The chief minister, his office, and the party are yet to respond, but a senior BJP leader said Yadav has always been in the real estate business, and that expose seemed to be the work of rivals within the party.Detailing the facts in the press conference, Patwari said: “The family and relatives of Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav hold 335 acres of land across 245 plots. Of this, 168 acres across 137 plots have been purchased after he became the CM.”Naming all the relatives, Patwari said, “The land has been purchased in the name of 11 relatives—nephew, sister, brother, sister-in-law, and wife—mainly in Ujjain. The land was acquired under four real estate companies, with the CM and his wife holding majority stakes in them. Close relatives of the family hold significant stakes in three other companies. Several road projects passed through the vicinity of these lands during the time Mohan Yadav served as higher education minister and later as chief minister.”Questioning the CM, Patwari asked, “Is it true that after you became chief minister, your family and associated companies acquired 168 acres of land by purchasing 137 plots? Approximately 111 acres of land were purchased in areas affected by development projects — is this merely a coincidence?” Singhar asked, “Will the government make public the list of land-use changes for all projects in areas where your family purchased land? Will you announce a judicial inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge into this land deal issue?”Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh on social media platform X said the double engine government of the BJP in Madhya Pradesh was and “engine of plunder” running at full speed.Vyapam scam whistleblower Dr Anand Rai said, “Now, two probes are required into the matter. First on land deal and another on who leaked these papers.”Strangely, even some of the BJP’s political rivals said the expose may have been aimed at removing Yadav.Akhilesh says BJP looking to replace 3 CMsSamajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said: “He (Mohan Yadav) used to work in real estate previously. Doesn’t the BJP know this? These allegations are being raised because the BJP is looking for a way to replace three chief ministers.”Reacting to the allegations, BJP state president Hemant Khandelwal said: “All the allegations made by Congress are completely baseless and are creating a situation to spread confusion. Not a single thing in them is true. The Chief Minister had declared 17 acres of land in his 2023 nomination, and he still has the same amount today. His wife’s 12.9 acres of land is also unchanged.”This isn’t the first controversy related to land in Ujjain after Yadav took over. In September 2025, protests broke out after the state government announced that it would acquire land about 1,800 acres of agriculture land near Shipra river in Ujjain for building permanent structures for Simastha Kumbh in Ujjain in 2028.To be sure, the land pooling policy under which this acquisition was to happen was announced by the previous BJP government headed by Shivraj Singh Chouhan, but the protests, especially by the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, an RSS affiliated farmer organisation, acquired momentum only in mid-2024. Yadav was eventually forced to scrap the policy.