Cong leaders fail to address concerns over corruption: BJP

Sniping at the Congress, BJP on Sunday said its rally here was intended to create a false bravado for the demoralised cadre of the ruling party which has failed to address serious concerns over corruption and multiple scams.

“This was a rally intended to create a false bravado when they have failed on the financial front and in giving a clean government. It has no idea on how to control prices and has rationalised diesel and LPG price hike. The Congress is rejoicing in the misery of the common man,” Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said.

On the issue of FDI in multi-brand retail, BJP said the Congress has not addressed any of the concerns raised by the Opposition.

“The government has no answer to the manufacturing jobs falling due to FDI in multi-brand retail and to the displacement of retail jobs. It says middlemen will be eliminated but this will only benefit the retailers and not the farmer. In the US and Europe, a subsidy of $1 billion per day is given to farmers due to this reason,” Jaitley said.

The BJP leader also maintained that “not a word has been said” by the Congress on the issue of scams like 2G spectrum and coal block allocation, and those committed by relatives of leaders and the party itself.

He was referring to the allegations of financial wrongdoing by Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra and the charges levelled by Subramanian Swamy against the Congress chief and Rahul Gandhi in the Associated Journals case.

Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi also hit out at the Congress and the government, accusing it of being insensitive and enjoying at the expense of the poor.

“Like the buffalow enjoys her fodder they (UPA) are enjoying their fodder of FDI insensitive to the needs of poor and are sensitive only to the needs of foreign and multinational companies,” Mr. Joshi told reporters.

He said Congress was oblivious to the widespread opposition to FDI in retail and was trying to mislead the people on the issue.

The political parties, traders and farmers’ organisations are all united in opposing this proposal, Mr. Joshi said, adding that this was seen in the two bharat bandhs called by the Opposition.

“They brought this FDI in retail under foreign pressure,” Mr. Joshi said.