New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that he will file a defamation suit against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for accusing him and his family to be involved in the Vyapam scam and Panama papers cases.

Chouhan tweeted on Monday: “Mr @RahulGandhi, You have been making patently false allegations of Vyapam to Panama Papers against me and my family. Tomorrow, I am filing a criminal defamation suit for maximum damages against you for frivolous and malafide statements. Let law take its own course now.”

At an election rally in Indore, Gandhi on Monday accused Chouhan and his government of pursuing a "dharma of corruption".

Gandhi had said, "Nearly 50 persons were killed in the aftermath of Vyapam scam. The state's education infrastructure has been finished. They talk of dharma but their dharma is corruption. They did not spare even the Kumbh. There was corruption in (Simhastha) Kumbh...the cost was inflated nearly 10 times. There was a demand for CBI inquiry...but even the CBI director has been removed by Modi”.

Gandhi alleged Chouhan was involved in the Vyapam scam and in financial irregularities while organising Simhastha Kumbh in Ujjain in 2016.

Chouhan has earlier denied any involvement in the recruitment test conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, Vyapam (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal).

In retaliation, state BJP spokesman Rajnish Agrawal lashed out at Gandhi and said, "As president of the Congress party, he (Rahul Gandhi) is committing a crime morally and legally. The party leadership will decide what action needed to be taken in the matter."

Madhya Pradesh will see Assembly elections on November 28.