Congress brings no-trust motion against Raman Singh government in Chhattisgarh

Raipur: The main opposition Congress on Friday came out with a 168-point `charge sheet' in the Chhattisgarh Assembly as a part of its no-confidence motion against the Raman Singh-led BJP government.

Debate on the no-confidence motion is underway in the House on the last day of the four-day winter session.

In the morning, Congress MLAs started the debate, alleging that the government has failed on several fronts and its ministers are involved in scams.

Congress MLAs Dhanendra Sahu, Satyanarayan Sharma, Arun Vora and others accused the state government of leaving unemployed youth in the lurch while protecting those possessing fake caste certificates.

The state is going through "undeclared economic crises", Congress legislators said.

They also alleged that the fourth pillar of democracy -- media -- is under attack in the state, while the law and order situation in the Bastar region has deteriorated.

Women are not safe, and the number of rape and molestation cases has multiplied, they said.

The state government hasn't fulfilled its promises and farmers' situation has worsened, the opposition MLAs said.

Countering the charges, revenue minister Prem Prakash Pandey, agriculture minister Brijmohan Agrawal and other BJP MLAs including Shivratan Sharma dubbed the motion brought by the Congress as "weak".

In the last 14 years, the BJP government introduced and successfully implemented several welfare schemes, the ruling party MLAs said.

That is why people elected the BJP and rejected the Congress in the last three Assembly elections, minister Pandey said.

Even Naxal-affected areas are witnessing a continuous development, he added.

The discussion on the motion is likely to continue till midnight.