Raipur, Nov 19: Launching a scathing attack on Congress over the corruption issue, BJP president, M Venkaiah Naidu today asked it to clarify whether it still stuck to its stand that chargesheeted people should not continue in office. Addressing a press conference here after releasing the BJP's election manifesto for December 01 assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Naidu said the Congress should also tell the people how many of its leaders including some former Prime Ministers quit their posts after allegations of corruption were made against them. "Allegations of corruption were made against former Prime Ministers, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P V Narasimha Rao and even former Congress president, Sitaram Kesri but none of them quit their posts," he said.

Talking about the Congress stand that charge-sheeted people should not continue in office, he said the party should now clarify whether it still stuck to this or had changed its view. The BJP president said that the Congress must also explain as to why it was opposed to a CBI inuqiry into the Rs 30,000 crore telgi stamp paper scandal in Karnataka and Maharashtra where the party was in power.

Answering a question, he said that the BJP had not changed its stand on corruption and pointed out that the coming assembly polls would be fought on the issue of development and the performance of the existing government.

Bureau Report