Congress highlights''corruption'' in BJP govt in MP

New Delhi, Nov 20 (UNI) Ahead of the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress today unleashed its attack on the BJP government in the state, charging it with corruption and failure on all fronts, especially in the maintenance of law and order.

AICC Spokesman Abishek Manu Singhvi told mediapersons that cases were pending against Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his wife and many ministers before the Lokayukta, besides criminal cases against some of them.

In this context, he mentioned the names of Commerce and Industry Minister and former Chief Minister Babulal Gaur, Mining Minister Lakshmi Kumar Sharma and Revenue Minister Kamal Patel. Most of the cases, he said, were related to allotment of mines, allotment of land to private parties and Sangh Parivar organisations and persons of criminal record.

"The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh and its ministers have attained the Himalayan height of corruption," Dr Singhvi said, adding that "never in the history of independent India one government has had so many ministers with registered cases and cases before statutory bodies." Alleging failure on all fronts, he said the amount given by the Centre for the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act had been diverted and misappropriated.

Dr Singhvi alleged that the government had withdrawn 72,000 criminal cases during the past five years. A majority of these cases were registered for attacks on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and economically weaker sections, he added.

He said as many as 132 cases of communal riots were documented, besides 9033 cases of rape, including 438 involving minors.

Dr Singhvi said the employment opportunities had dwindled under the BJP government with the number of people getting government and private jobs decreasing.

UNi SH ARB RK1845