An investigative report by The Indian Express revealed that the family of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav went on an extensive land-purchasing drive in Ujjain right after he took office in December 2023. The family—including his wife, daughter-in-law, brothers, and cousins—along with their real estate firms, bought at least 137 land parcels covering 168 acres for approximately ₹45 crore. This sharp acceleration in buying expanded the family's total land bank in the region to 335 acres.
The controversy centers on a serious conflict of interest. Roughly 111 acres of the newly acquired land sit directly adjacent to major upcoming highway projects announced by the state government or fall within zones where land-use rules were changed from agricultural to lucrative commercial and residential plots under the Ujjain Master Plan. Following these purchases, the CM's cousins quickly partnered with private developers or launched their own housing schemes to monetize the rapidly appreciating land.
In response to the report, the political opposition, led by the Congress party, labeled the situation an "engine of plunder," demanding a judicial inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge and calling for the Chief Minister's resignation. Meanwhile, sources from the Chief Minister’s Office and his family strongly rejected the allegations. They maintained that the family has been legitimately established in the local real estate business since 2010—long before Mohan Yadav became the Chief Minister—and argued that linking routine commercial business transactions to his political position is entirely incorrect.