BHOPAL: It’s not only national politics, but politics in Madhya Pradesh too seems like it is being dominated by China – at a time when the defence forces of both the nations are engaged in an eye to eye situation on the LAC.
It all began recently with BJP national vice president and former Rajya Sabha member Prabhat Jha dubbing former MP CM Kamal Nath as “Chinese Agent” for having reduced import duties on Chinese products during his stint as the union commerce and industries minister.
The attack was further intensified on Saturday, when state BJP president VD Sharma accused Nath of favouring China while being the country’s commerce and industry minister in the UPA government and reducing import duties on 250 items manufactured in China.
“He (Nath) gave exemptions ranging from 40 to 200 percent in import duty on such products, which were actually available in India only,” claimed Sharma.
The ruling party burnt Nath’s effigies in Bhopal and other parts of the state over the issue on Sunday.
The attack on Nath by the BJP didn’t end there, as a former minister and senior MLA from Jabalpur district Ajay Bishnoi alleged foul play in the allotment of Rs 271 crore contract of Madhya Pradesh Power Transmission Company to a Chinese company in March 2020, while the Kamal Nath government was in power.
The former minister in a letter written to CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan demanded that the work order allotted to the Chinese company be cancelled.
Meanwhile, the former CM Kamal Nath responded to BJP’s attack in series of tweets. “Where was the BJP for so many years, why was it silent on these issues. Those who’ve showed friendship with China for years and have travelled there quite often, are now making false accusations.”
The state Congress media in-charge Jeetu Patwari also claimed that the imports from China tripled during the BJP rule at the centre.
Another Congress MLA Arif Masood in a press conference on Saturday had showed PPE kits being used in Bhopal, were actually 'Made in China' PPE kits.
On Sunday, another Congress leader Narendra Saluja (also the media coordinator for Kamal Nath) tweeted pictures of 2016 China visit of then MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
“The BJP needs to reply why the five-day China visit of an 11-member delegation of MP government headed by then CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in June 2016 was funded by the Community Party of China. The CM and BJP should both reply or we too will burn their effigies,” questioned Saluja.