Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan charged BJP-led NDA government at the Center of misleading the people on Ganga cleaning issue and using the issue for political gains. He also alleged that the center was meeting out “step motherly treatment” to Uttar Pradesh, saying the Center has stopped funding for several schemes.
“BJP won the 2014 parliament in the name of cleaning the river Ganga while it has done nothing in last two years in this direction. Within three months of Narendra Modi taking over as prime minister UP Jal Nigam had submitted a detailed project to Union government. They told us they will provide only five percent of the total project cost which we refused to accept. It’s the duty of the Union government to give funds for cleaning the river. Not a single paisa has been given to the state and this reality should come before the people,” Khan said in the UP Assembly on Tuesday.
“BJP may not have to take the pains of cleaning the river as the river is already drying up so will be get cleaned on its own’’, said Azam Khan adding: “Union government has withheld the release of funds of hundreds of crore for different urban and rural drinking water scheme thus creating a financial crisis for the UP Jal Nigam as they have not been paid salary for the last five months’’. Azam Khan alleged ``this is height of the step motherly treatment and cheating the people of the state.
Azam Khan alleged that the Union government has not starved UP Jal Nigam of funds alone but have slashed financial assistance for large number of, centrally sponsored schemes for social sector.
The BJP leader Suresh Khanna countered the minister listing the release of funds for various national highway projects in the state and alleged that the Samajwadi party won the land slide victory in recent panchyat election by massive irregularities and rigging where the official machinery was blatantly used to ensure the victory of ruling party candidates. The Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the BJP has already accepted it will not win the upcoming UP Assembly polls after it was badly trounced in assembly elections held in Delhi and Bihar. He said for this reason the BJP led central government has not included one city from UP, in Smart city project.
“The BJP have thrown their hands up even before the fight. How can a soldier who has accepted defeat fight the war,” Khan asked. Contesting the minister’s claims, BJP leader Satish Mahana said the state did not send the required proposal for the smart city project. He also asked as to why the ruling SP, which had nothing to do either with Delhi or Bihar, was happy with BJP’s showing in the states. Khan, however, claimed the state was the first to send a smart city proposal to the Centre.