Cong to launch counter campaign against Shekhawat

Jaipur, June 29: In a bid to counter 'BJP's allegation campaign' against UPA-Left combine's Presidential nominee Ms Pratibha Patil, the Congress Rajasthan unit will raise alleged Amford Company's scam committed during Mr Bhairon Singh Shekhawat's rule in Rajasthan between 1993-1998.

Talking to reporters here today Congress state president B D Kalla said his party did not believe in mud-slinging but since the BJP had already resorted to ''baseless'' allegation campaign against Ms Patil, it was due on their part to place before the people facts about the rival's past.

Accordingly, the party would highlight facts about Mr Shekhawat's political life, including the Amfort scam allegedly committed by the company concerned ''under protection from then government''.

It was the Congress which had spearheaded a year-long agitation in protest against this scam and alleged government protection to the culprits, Mr Kalla recalled.

The Congress state chief also contested propaganda by Mr Shekhawat's campaigners about his record of unbeaten electoral feat.

Mr Kalla said the Vice-President's campaigners were making false propaganda on Mr Shekhawat's unbeaten electoral performance. Mr Shekhawat had to taste at least three bitter electoral defeats during his political career.

Mr Shekhawat was defeated in the 1971 Rajasthan Assembly election from Gandhinagar segment of Jaipur by Congress' Janardhan Singh Gehlot. He also lost Lok Sabha election once from Barmer and finished at a third place in 1993 assembly election from Ganganagar assembly constituency(though he contested election on two seats), Mr Kalla said.

UNI

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