Congress slams Madhya Pradesh Govt for distributing ‘assembled in China’ tablets to MLAs

Assembly Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra said the tablets were of Apple which has establishments across the world

Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Kamal Nath has already returned the tablet. File | Photo Credit: A.M. Faruqui

Opposition Congress on Thursday hit out at the BJP Government in Madhya Pradesh for handing out tablet computers "assembled in China" to the MLAs.

The tablets had been given to the lawmakers for reading the maiden e-budget tabled in the Assembly the previous day.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi had banned 40 Chinese apps. MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had banned [China-made] firecrackers,” Leader of Opposition Govind Singh said.

“Mr. Speaker, the tablets distributed in the Assembly had come from China... It is not in the interest of the country given that the government itself opposes it. Data of all of us can be stolen. So, I return the tablet to the Assembly," he said in the House.

State Congress chief Kamal Nath has already returned it, he added.

Assembly Affairs Minister Narottam Mishra said the tablets were of Apple which has establishments across the world, and assembling only means bringing together various components.

Transport Minister Govind Rajput claimed that he saw Opposition members queuing up for collecting the gadget.

After Minister Gopal Bhargava, former Leader of Opposition Bala Bachchan and Congress member Vijay Laxmi Sadhoo also spoke on the issue, the Speaker asked the members to discuss the Budget instead of wasting their energy on tablets.

Meanwhile, an aide of Kamal Nath said he returned his tablet because the use of tablets was not in keeping with the Assembly's traditions. Also, they were assembled in China and he did not need one, the aide said.