Cong refutes BJP's discrimination charge

Bhopal, Nov 13 (UNI) Congress party's Madhya Pradesh incharge General Secretary V Narayansami today brushed aside the BJP government's allegation of discrimination by the centre towards Madhya Pradesh claiming the Centre had raised at least by three times its assistance to the state.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Sami said the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government had levelled misleading and baseless allegations against the centre. ''Such allegations are not good for parliamentary democracy'', he said.

Presenting statistics of the Centre's allocation of funds, Mr Sami said Atal Behari Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance Government had given budgetary support of Rs 4,800 crore to the then Digvijay Singh governemt of Madhya Pradesh in 2002-03, while the present government had alloted more than Rs 14,000 crore this year.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee President Suresh Pachouri told reporters that the BJP's promise to improve electricity situation proved to be hollow as the government could not make any improvement in the last five years. Several farmers were sent to jail as they could not pay inflated bills though the BJP promised billing on actual consumption.

The state under BJP rule topped in malnutrition deaths, crime, atrocities on weaker sections and beating up government employees by ruling party leaders, he said, adding the government had given huge chunk of land to Sangh pariwars at nominal rate.

Highhandedness of the ministers and their siblings were reported almost daily across the state, Mr Pachouri said, adding the people wanted a change of government.

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