File picture of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, besieged by the massive Vyapam recruitment scam in his state, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter's Race Course Road residence earlier today.
The meeting was officially been called to discuss the report of a plan panel sub-committee that Mr Chouhan heads. An expansion of the Madhya Pradesh cabinet and the Ujjain kumbh mela were also on the agenda.
The meeting comes as the government attempts to break a deadlock in Parliament, which has seen little work done in the ongoing Monsoon Session, with the Opposition adamant that Mr Chouhan and other top leaders of the ruling BJP caught in scandals, be removed.
Sources said political issues are expected to be discussed at PM Modi's meeting with Mr Chouhan, including a proposed expansion of the Shivraj Singh cabinet in Madhya Pradesh.
The two leaders meet also as the Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI submits its first status report today to the Supreme Court on its investigations into the Vyapam scam, which refers to the alleged collusion in recent years by top politicians, bureaucrats and others that saw vast amounts of money being paid to allow imposters to take the qualifying exam for government jobs.
Over 30 people linked to the scam have died and amid nationwide outrage the Supreme Court handed over investigation to the central agency earlier this month. The Opposition led by the Congress has demanded that Chief Minister Chouhan be sacked over the massive swindle.
The government has backed Mr Chouhan and has ruled out his resignation.
At an all-party meeting held on Thursday to break the logjam, the Opposition again made clear that for Parliament to run, nothing less than Mr Chouhan's removal and that of Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who had helped tainted cricket moghul Lalit Modi, is acceptable.
"We are sticking to our demand. The government has to take a call," senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said at the meeting.
The government indicated at the meeting that it is open to calling another meeting of Opposition parties to discuss their concerns.