BJP dodging questions on corruption: Congress

Mumbai: The state Congress on Sunday ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign. State Congress president Ashok Chavan alleged that though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has begun the countrywide campaign, it lacks the ability to reply to any allegations.

The BJP is dodging questions on corruption and morality and is leaving the battle, and those who do so are not called chowkidars but chors, Mr Chavan stated.

Mr Chavan said that since the BJP had come to power, it ran away from the people, Opposition, media and judiciary when asked questions.

Following the orders of the court, a case has been registered against minister of state for social justice Dilip Kamble for taking a bribe. Forget about sacking Mr Kamble from the council of ministers, the BJP could not muster the courage to take cognisance of it, the Congress state president said.

The 60-year-old Congress leader said that the court had raised a question over the honesty of the chief minister in connection with the probe into the killing of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare.

Mr Chavan said, “The state government does not dare to reply, forget about (the chief minister) resigning for being morally responsible for it.”

The Bombay high court last week expressed its displeasure over the pace of probe into the killing of rationalists Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare, asking whether the chief minister did not have time to take stock of the cases.

The former chief minister said that the ruling party does not answer questions raised by the media. In a few days, questions will not be asked and they (the government) have taken for granted that the people have a weak memory, he stated.

The BJP is claiming that it is running the government transparently and ethically… If the BJP has some shame, it should immediately sack Mr Kamble and the chief minister should step down, the Congress state president reiterated.