NEW DELHI: To counter the Congress in Parliament, BJP MPs have given notices on eight alleged corruption cases in Congress-ruled states in both the Houses.
However, as per convention, State issues can’t be raised in Parliament. But since the Congress is pressing for discussion on the role of MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the Vyapam issue and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje for helping IPL czar Lalit Modi, the BJP tried to pay back the opposition party in its own coin.
As both the Houses continued to be disrupted due to protests by Congress MPs, two Union ministers — Sarbananda Sonowal and Kiren Rijiju — launched another salvo at the party by raising the conviction of former Arunachal Pradesh CM P K Thungan in a graft case.
“Congress is talking of corruption, skeletons of corruption of yesteryears are tumbling out of its closet... Such is the level of corruption in Congress that ages have passed, the age of Indira Gandhi is over but still the corruption cases of that age are existing,” said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
Addressing a press conference, Union minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it was clear from the sting video that the person was saying he was Uttarakhand CM Harish Rawat’s aide, officially the PS, secretary excise and also dealt with communication. “He is negotiating with middlemen after the liquor policy was changed by the CM... also discussed are several 100 crores of which 25 per cent and 75 per cent are to be delivered within a week... BJP demands Harish Rawat instantly resign,” said Sitharaman.
“Clearly an attempt by the CM’s PS to make money out of middlemen who are coming there to wrench out of the government hands the distribution rights,” she alleged.