Bhopal, January 31: Hours after Ratlam police claimed that Himmat Patidar, who is associated with the RSS, faked his 'murder' for life insurance sum and instead allegedly killed his farm help, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh Monday took potshots at the BJP which had held protests against recent killings of saffron leaders in the state.

Earlier in the day, police said Patidar had allegedly killed his farm labourer Madan Malviya (32) last week to pass it off as his own 'murder'.

Patidar is alive and is on the run, a senior police officer has said.

Taking a swipe at the opposition BJP, Home Minister Bala Bachchan said, "Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan should visit the house of the Dalit man who has been allegedly killed by Patidar, one of their (BJP's) own men, and console his family members. Why he (Chouhan) has not tweeted yet?" BJP is Not Able to Digest Defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Says Home Minister Bala Bachchan.

Bachchan was apparently referring to the tweet posted by Chouhan in the wake of the alleged killing of BJP leader Manoj Thakre (48) in Barwani district on January 20 by unidentified persons. Manoj Thackeray, BJP Balwadi Leader, Found Dead in Madhya Pradesh’s Warla.

In that tweet, Chouhan had said that it was a matter of grave concern that BJP leaders are being killed in Madhya Pradesh, and accused the Congress of taking the incidents lightly.

Chouhan had stressed that Thakre, a BJP mandal president, was killed in the home district of Bachchan.

Bachchan said state police are close to crack the Thakre murder case.

"The BJP had run a slander campaign against the state government over the killing of a businessman in Indore, and murder of their leader in Mandsaur thereafter," he said.

Bachchan said both the crimes were cracked within a short span of time.

"The killers have direct or indirect connection with the BJP," the home minister said, adding that the "real face" of the BJP now stands exposed under the Congress rule.

"The BJP had burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Kamal Nath and mine claiming lawlessness. Now they should burn the effigies of Patidar and the Dalit man's (Malviya's) killers, who are the BJP's own men, across the state," he said.

Bachchan alleged the BJP was trying to malign the image of the newly-formed Congress government, and is trying to create a general atmosphere of mistrust against it.

"We inherited a messy law and order from the BJP which had ruled the state for 15 years. We are setting it right," the home minister said. When asked if the government would initiate action against Chouhan and others for "sullying the image" of the government, Bachchan said, "we will take action against wrongdoers".