As the impasse continued in Parliament, the Gover-nment and the ruling BJP on Wednesday sought to turn tables on the Opposition by deciding to demand resignations of Congress Chief Ministers facing corruption charges in their respective States.
Dismissing the Congress insistence on the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the BJP argued that none of them have “violated any law”.
The BJP is “to dig out skeletons” from the Congress-ruled States like Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh where it said the respective Chief Ministers and Congress
leaders were facing “serious corruption charges”.
The BJP has decided that if the Congress presses for a debate on Vyapam scam in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, then “the proven corruption charges” against Congress Chief Ministers would have be discussed in Parliament.
The BJP have selected corruption issues in the Congress-ruled States “to counter the Opposition” and given notices in both the Houses for discussion. The notices have been given on Solar scam (Kerala), Bar-bribery scam (Kerala), water project scam (Goa), Food scam (Uttarakhand), Farmers suicide (Karnataka) and Steel scam (Himachal Pradesh). Besides, notices have also been given for discussion in both the Houses for human trafficking in West Bengal to corner the Opposition.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu was of view that before asking for the resignations of BJP leaders, the Congress should be taking action against their Chief Ministers “facing
serious charges”.
The BJP leaders have pointed out that parties like left and other united in Parliament against the BJP have serious divide against ruling Congress in different States.
Stepping on their new strategy, the BJP on Wednesday accused Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat of “making money” by tweaking liquor policy to benefit private distributors and demanded his sacking.
At a Press conference here, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman released a CD of the sting operation in which Rawat’s personal secretary Mohammad Shahid is purportedly bargaining with middlemen and private liquor distributors about the commission to be given to him for allowing them instead of Government undertakings to distribute liquor in Dehradun.
The CD does not feature Rawat, but a person whom the Minister claimed was Shahid talking to alleged dealers. Sitharaman said Shahid has long been the “handpicked” associate of Rawat and had served the Congress leader in the Central Government earlier too. Shahid is also the Excise Secretary in the State.
“Instead of focusing on providing relief to Uttarakhand for which he was sent replacing Vijay Bahuguna, Rawat is focusing on making money by tweaking the liquor policy. We demand that the Congress party remove him instantly. He must resign,” she told reporters.
BJP secretary Shrikant Sharma said the Congress “looted” the country when it ruled the Centre and now its Chief Ministers were doing it in States.
The party also seized on the conviction of former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister PK Thungan in a graft case and sought to question Congress’ credentials to raise the issue of corruption and stall Parliament.
The BJP said skeletons of yesteryears continued to tumble out of Congress closet even now and it had no moral authority to talk of corruption and stall Parliament run on public money.
“Congress is talking of corruption, skeletons of corruption of yesteryears are tumbling out of its closet,” BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said raising the conviction of Thungan, a veteran Congress MP from North-East, who had been a two-time Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and twice a Union Minister.
Patra, who was flanked by two Union Ministers Kiran Rijiju from Arunachal Pradesh and Sarbananda Sonowal of Assam, asked the Congress to introspect and own up its leader convicted two days ago for corruption.