Cong alleges misuse of public funds for BJP Natl Exec meet

Bhopal, Sep 22 (UNI) Even as Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Madhya Pradesh's capital is witnessing a flurry of political activity courtesy the saffron party's three-day National Executive meeting that got underway here yesterday, the main opposition Congress alleged that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan regime indulged in large-scale misuse of government resources for the gathering.

''Builders were subjected to extortion to make funds available for boarding and lodging of visiting leaders and workers. Government institutes bore the expense of books published by the BJP for the meet and are bearing costs of hoardings and advertisements,'' Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jamuna Devi said in a statement issued here.

She alleged that pandals, put up during the Executive meeting and accompanying public gathering, were arranged by the same contractor who supplied pandals for panchayats at the Chief Minister's residence. Ms Devi suspected that the cost incurred would be included under government expense. Buses were forcibly acquired for bringing people to the meeting and bus owners also subjected to extortion, she added.

''Let the accounts of money spent on organising the Executive meet and on its publicity be made public. Misuse of government resources will be proved if telephone calls, made over the past week by Transport Department officials, are probed,'' the tribal leader said.

UNI