The Bhartiya Janata Party on Thursday launched a counter offensive against the Congress by raking up graft charges against Congress Chief Ministers in Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Kerala and Assam, and said the Congress had become “synonymous with corruption.’’
Reacting strongly to the Opposition stalling Parliament, the party said that it was not being allowed to reply to the allegations and charges being against its leaders outside Parliament.
“Why should anyone resign when there is no truth in the charges? And why is not the Congress allowing a discussion on the charges it is levelling against BJP leaders in the House?’’ the party asked.
“External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is ready to reply, but is not being allowed.’’
Giving a clear indication that it is in a confrontationist mode inside Parliament, Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad gave a detailed account of the money-laundering charges against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, calling it an “applegate’’, and asked: “Why Rahul Gandhi not talking about the loot by his party leaders?’’
The party produced a letter written by its leader, Arun Jaitley, to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2013 — before the NDA came to power — seeking an Income Tax and CBI investigation against Mr. Singh and his family members.
Refuting the charges, Mr. Singh said in a tweet that the BJP was raising “old and unsubstantiated charges” against him, and accused the Centre of a “political witch-hunt.”
Party spokesman M.J. Akbar accused the Congress of indulging in “smear politics’’ and not looking at corruption in its backyard.
Taking a dig at the Congress’s election slogan, party’s State in-charge Shrikant Sharma said the Congress was hand in glove with the mafia and looters and alleged that it had the blessing of the top leadership.
