The war on corruption has become the political flavour of the season with the Congress and the BJP intensifying their attacks against each other on the issue. While the Congress plans to puncture the BJP’s corruption plank by targeting saffron chief ministers to demolish the BJP’s Generation Next leaders, the main Opposition has virtually put the Centre in the dock on the issue.
The Congress party has been collecting information about corruption cases in the BJP governments in Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
It has recently drawn the President’s attention to such cases in Gujarat and Uttarakhand through memoranda requesting her to look into them. Assembly elections are due in the two states next year.
While the Gujarat PCC’s memorandum informed the President that large-scale corruption by ministers and the chief minister required investigation either by the CBI or other national investigation agency since the corruption is of over `1 lakh crores, the Uttarakhand Congress has given details of sector-wise financial irregularities committed by the Ramesh Pokhriyal government.
AICC general secretary Birender Singh on Saturday said Congress workers would hit the streets against the land deals in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. “We are planning to take out a march from Solan to the Assembly in Shimla during the coming session against the Prem Kumar Dhumal government to protest dubious deals,” he said. Mr Singh is the AICC leader in charge of party affairs in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi.
On the other hand, Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has already been on the Congress hit list for alleged corrupt practices to remain in power.
“If we can remove Ashok Chavan as Maharashtra chief minister on the Adarsha Housing Society scam, suspend MP Suresh Kalmadi, and put Mr Kalmadi and former Union minister A. Raja behind bars, why can’t the BJP take similar action against its corrupt leaders,” asked Congress officials who added that the BJP cannot apply double-standards on the issue of corruption.
Besides the BJP CMs, the Congress also plans to target Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati and the Badal government in Punjab on corruption.