Bharatiya Janata Party vice-president Uma Bharati on Thursday advocated her party's prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi's contention that a nationwide debate ought to be conducted over the Constitution's Article 370.
While talking to mediapersons here, she said, "It must be deliberated whether any state should enjoy special status. Modi's raising the issue is a matter of pride. Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi cannot be compared with Modi. All Gandhi does is 'tear and throw' papers."
She advocated a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the scam in tests conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board.
"I will raise before Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan the unauthorised diamond mining by multinational corporation Rio Tinto, the Ken-Betwa link Project that will also benefit neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and illegal sand mining on the Narmada River's banks,"
Uma said.
Citing a gruesome incident which can challenge the tall claims of his own Government's oft-repeated claims that none died of hunger in Madhya Pradesh, Uma said, "A family head in Buxwaha village in proximity of mines from where Rio Tinto extract diamonds, axed his entire family members to death since he could not feed them." However she further clarified, "I am not suspecting State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan or his honesty but this disparity should not prevail further in the region."
She said she would soon corner the company to extract details of quantity of mining and value of diamonds which the company has so far taken away from the region and also make it sure that the company shares the benefit with the local
people.
She alleged that an Indian Administrative Service officer's wife was fielded by the Bahujan Samaj Party against her nephew Rahul Singh lodhi in Khargapur as the BSP wants to capitalise on the caste factor.