Hitting back at Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her statement alleging corruption in development schemes in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday described her party as the “mother of corruption.”
“It is the Congress which has promoted corruption all through. It is the mother of corruption. You are talking about corruption in Bihar, what happened to spectrum and CWG scams,” Mr. Kumar said jointly addressing an election meeting with senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj here.
They were canvassing for State National Democratic Alliance convener and senior Minister Nand Kishor Yadav in the Patna Sahib Assembly constituency.
Ms. Swaraj also made similar charges against the Congress and said, “The NDA would raise the issue of corruption in organising the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.”
Brushing aside Ms. Gandhi's charge that the Bihar government had failed to use Central funds, Mr. Kumar described it as a baseless allegation. “We have requested the Prime Minister on several occasions during the past five years to pay a visit to Bihar but he failed to give any positive response. Now when these leaders are coming to Bihar, they choose the opportunity to criticise us. What happened to our demand for according special status to Bihar,” Mr. Kumar asked.
He alleged that the Centre did not cooperate with the State in providing package for rehabilitation of people and reconstruction of the Kosi belt devastated by unprecedented floods in 2008. The Centre also did not care to help reach aid to Bihar where all 38 districts were declared drought-hit, the JD(U) leader said.
