Bijli, sadak, pani, corruption to be MP poll issues: Cong

Bhopal, Feb 17 (UNI) Newly-appointed Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Suresh Pachouri today indicated that, besides ''bijli, sadak, pani (BSP)'' (power, roads and water), his party would also include corruption as an issue for the assembly polls scheduled later this year.

''The Bharatiya Janata Party came to power on 'BSP' but failed in getting rid of related problems. Corruption has spread from the lowest to the highest rung,'' he told reporters here.

Furnishing 'BSP' statistics, Mr Pachouri claimed that the Centre's United Progressive Alliance government provided more assistance to this state compared to the predecessor National Democratic Alliance regime.

Describing as baseless the Madhya Pradesh government's allegations that the Centre was meting out stepmotherly treatment to this state, he said,''the Congress doled out even more than the fund allocation for enhancing power generation. Likewise, more and more funds were provided under the Sarvashiksha, tribal, Prime Minister's Rural Roads Scheme and other heads.'' Refuting Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's accusation that the Centre supplied substandard imported red wheat to Madhya Pradesh, Mr Pachouri challenged Mr Chouhan to make the wheat inquiry report public.

''The state regime is politically harassing opposition parties' workers, particularly those of the Congress, and criminal cases are being registered against them. My party will protest against this at a political level besides taking other steps,'' he warned.

Regarding the Bahujan Samaj Party's allegedly increasing influence in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Pachouri claimed that the party's recent rally here would not impact on state politics.

''That party emerged victorious in Uttar Pradesh as it was the sole alternative to the Samajwadi Party. The outcome of hustings in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh proved that the party has no base in other states,'' he added.

UNI AG-AC 1822