Beware of sting ops: BJP to ministers

Raipur, July 28 (UNI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has cautioned Chhattisgarh's ministers to be alert against and technically aware about sting operations in view of the situation after the alleged bribing of MPs and this year's assembly polls.

Confirming this to UNI, highly-placed BJP sources said here today that even party MPs, MLAs, chairpersons of corporations and boards were similarly cautioned here yesterday at the BJP's State Executive Committee meeting attended by Secretary (Organisation) Ramlal.

National-level office-bearers said that the Lok Sabha expose might lead to retaliation by opponents to gain political mileage ahead of the elections. Referring to past sequences of events in this state, senior national-level leaders said that sting operations were already in vogue in Chhattisgarh.

In the 2003 vidhan sabha hustings, a compact disc (CD) surfaced showing the then Union minister Dilip Singh Judeo allegedly accepting a bribe. Later, the BJP claimed that former chief minister Ajit Jogi's voice was allegedly recorded on tape in the MLAs' bribery expose.

The meeting referred to television channels recently beaming the then state Khadi and Village Industry Board Chairman Kriparam Sahu allegedly accepting a bribe and the official subsequently resigned.

The BJP is concerned over reports of alleged CDs on several state ministers and BJP office-bearers.

UNI AS-AC 1737