Chandigarh: The war of words on sub-quota
for minorities further flared up on Sunday with BJP accusing
Congress of indulging in worst form of communal propaganda to
garner votes in poll bound Uttar Pradesh and other four
states.
"It is unfortunate for the country that the Congress
party is indulging in communal politics to garner votes in
poll-bound states," BJP National General Secretary and Chief
Spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press conference here.
He cited that religion based reservation is not
permissible under the constitution.
On the Congress leaders endorsing granting nine per cent
quota for minorities, he said it was pure vote bank politics
to woo voters.
On the issue of different stands of Home Minister P
Chidambaram and Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh on
the three-year old Batla house encounter in which one Delhi
police cop died, he said that Digvijay should be immediately
expelled from the party.
"Digvijay says Batla house was fake whereas Chidambaram
says its not fake...now whom does the country believe on," he
added.
"Such difference in statements lowers the confidence of
forces fighting terrorists in the country," he said.
On the issue of forthcoming Assembly polls in Punjab, he
asked what is the vision of Congress for the state when
economy had been slowed down.
He also sought to know from the Congress who would be
their Chief Ministerial candidate in Punjab.
"The SAD-BJP alliance had already announced that Parkash
Singh Badal would be the CM candidate of the combine," he
said.
Prasad rejected the suggestion that the incumbent
government does not repeat in Punjab as per previous trends.
"There has been a change in the mood of voters now," he
said adding that the ruling government had repeated in Bihar,
Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Gujarat in the past.
Commenting on the Congress rebels, Prasad said, "I was
told the other day there are as many as 55 rebels of Congress
in the fray."
How can a party which is not able to contain rebels will
serve the state, he questioned?
On the concern raised by Uttar Pardesh Chief Minister
Mayawati on draping of elephants and her statutes, he said
that "she should have focused on good governance as there has
been corruption and lawlessness in her regime."
He asked Mayawati as to how many dalits were provided
jobs during her regime.
"The rate of malnutrition is biggest in Uttar Pardesh and
lot of pregnant females die in the state," he said asking why
is it in UP.
Referring to around 40-year-old relations of SAD and BJP
in Punjab, he said that "the alliance between the two
political parties remained even after lot of political
turmoil."
"There has been great legacy of political understanding
between the two parties (SAD and BJP in Punjab)," he said.
He questioned the silence of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi,
SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and JD leader Lalu Parsad Yadav
on the issue of sub quota.
On Babu Ram Khushwa, he said that inquiry will be held on
the corruption charges against Khushwa.
On the issue of corruption cases against few Punjab
ministers and later their removal, he said that "it was a case
of CBI misuse at the hands of political masters."
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 15, 2012, 17:21